About one in three people with a credit file in Jefferson County, Alabama, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Jefferson County, 33.3% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jefferson County's score
In Jefferson County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 90.3. Bankruptcy filings ran at 481.7 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 98% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 83.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jefferson 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.
Jefferson County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.2%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and median household income ($69,346, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.3% · August 202582nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people481.7 · 202598th percentile
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- 83.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.3% · August 202576th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.7% · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.8% · second quarter of 202679th percentile
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- 82.9 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 rent25.8% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.8% · fiscal year 202776th percentile
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- 53.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.2% · 202458th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.1% · 202460th percentile
- People with a disability15.4% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- People without health insurance9.4% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,346 · 202442nd percentile
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- 36.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202618th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.3% · 2020 to 202453rd 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, 16.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jefferson County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Jefferson County had its largest rise, from 14.1% in 2004 to 17.9% in 2009.
In Jefferson County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 17.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Jefferson County, Alabama, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.5% in 2011 to 13.2% in 2012.
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 14.2%
Low on the chart: 8.9% 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, Jefferson County, Alabama.
How Jefferson County has changed
Jefferson County's population rose 6% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1974 and 1979
High on the chart: 675,357 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jefferson County, Alabama.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson County fell most sharply on the way to its 2010 low, from 370,873 in 2005 to 331,416 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson County rose 8% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 384,038 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jefferson County, Alabama.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.3% | 2024 14.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,448 | 2024 $69,346 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 Jefferson County's history
1819
Established on December 13, 1819, by the Alabama Legislature. Wikipedia
1956
A tornado in April 1956 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed 25 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A tornado in April 1998 did $200 million in property damage and killed 32 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A flash flood in May 2003 did $1 billion in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $700 million in property damage and killed 20 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 674,721, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1970
38 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jefferson County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jefferson County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Jefferson County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jefferson County ranks 6th of the seven; Bibb County is highest, at 31.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bibb County, AL | 93 | 21.6% | 31.8% |
| Jefferson County, AL | 82 | 14.2% | 17.6% |
| Walker County, AL | 75 | 18.1% | 29.9% |
| Tuscaloosa County, AL | 74 | 16.5% | 22.8% |
| Blount County, AL | 60 | 11.7% | 25.1% |
| St. Clair County, AL | 48 | 9.7% | 25.8% |
| Shelby County, AL | 21 | 6.8% | 14.2% |
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 Jefferson County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Jefferson County's poverty rate was 14.2% in 2024, 55th 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, Jefferson County ranks 32nd of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jefferson 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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Birmingham Urban League, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Neighborhood Housing Services of Birmingham, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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.
Download the CSV for Jefferson County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Jefferson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.