About one in four people in Henry County, Alabama, has a disability
In Henry County, 22.7% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Henry County's score
In Henry County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 76.9. Bankruptcy filings ran at 625.7 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 72.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Henry County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Henry County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (17.8%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.6% · August 202558th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people625.7 · 2025top 5%
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- 72.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.9% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.0% · second quarter of 202674th percentile
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- 69.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.0% · 202470th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.6% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability22.7% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- People without health insurance9.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,086 · 202463rd percentile
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- 42.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202611th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.0% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
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- 26.7 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent15.4% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.8% · fiscal year 202719th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Henry County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Henry County, 23.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Henry County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Henry County rose most sharply after its 1974 low, from 12.7% in 1974 to 16.9% in 1979.
In Henry County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 29.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Henry County, Alabama, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Henry County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.6% in 2013 to 16.7% in 2014.
The share of households in Henry County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 11.4% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Henry County, Alabama.
How Henry County has changed
Henry County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 17,071 in 2019 to 18,141 in 2024.
Henry County's population rose by about a quarter to 18,141, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 18,141 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Henry County, Alabama.
The number of jobs located in Henry County had its largest drop, from 4,495 in 2005 to 3,286 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Henry County fell by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 3,747, with its low point on the chart in 2010
Low on the chart: 3,286 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Henry County, Alabama.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.3% | 2024 16.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,669 | 2024 $62,086 |
The table uses 2.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Henry County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 36,147. The 2020 Census counted 17,146, 47% of the peak. Census Bureau
2000
A tornado in December 2000 did $2.9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A tornado in November 2002 did $3 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A tornado in March 2007 did $11 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
A tornado in April 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Henry County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Henry County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Henry County, in Alabama and Georgia, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Henry County ranks 5th of the six; Clay County is highest, at 46.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early County, GA | 98 | 26.7% | 36.0% |
| Barbour County, AL | 95 | 28.1% | 38.3% |
| Clay County, GA | 92 | 25.7% | 46.8% |
| Dale County, AL | 79 | 17.3% | 31.3% |
| Houston County, AL | 77 | 17.0% | 27.5% |
| Henry County, AL | 62 | 16.0% | 29.3% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Henry County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Henry County's poverty rate was 16.0% in 2024, 49th highest of 67 in Alabama (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Bullock County, at 36.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Henry County ranks 51st of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Henry County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Services Alabama
Legal aid
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Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service
Lawyer referral
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Henry County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.