About one in five people in Lawrence County, Alabama, has a disability
In Lawrence County, 19.6% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 77% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lawrence County's score
In Lawrence County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 82.0. Bankruptcy filings ran at 265.7 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 87% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 79.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lawrence 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.
Lawrence County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (2.8%, 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.
- 82.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.1% · August 202577th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people265.7 · 202587th percentile
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- 79.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.4% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.4% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.8% · second quarter of 202674th percentile
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- 63.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.1% · 202471st percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.1% · 202472nd percentile
- People with a disability19.6% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- People without health insurance8.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,936 · 202443rd percentile
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- 34.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20267th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.8% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
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- 20.4 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 rent12.7% · 2020 to 202421st 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County, 19.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lawrence County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lawrence County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 30.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Lawrence County, Alabama, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.4% in 2010 to 14.5% in 2011.
The share of households in Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 9.3% 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, Lawrence County, Alabama.
How Lawrence County has changed
Lawrence County's population made its largest gain on the way to its 1999 high, from 32,697 in 1994 to 34,537 in 1999.
Lawrence County's population rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33,567
High on the chart: 34,537 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lawrence County, Alabama.
The number of jobs located in Lawrence County had its largest drop, from 5,921 in 2010 to 4,640 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Lawrence County fell by about a quarter from 1990 to 2025, reaching 5,551, with its low point on the chart in 2015
Low on the chart: 4,640 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lawrence County, Alabama.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.4% | 2025 2.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.5% | 2024 16.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,579 | 2024 $68,936 |
The table uses 2.5% for 2025; the score uses 2.8% 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 Lawrence County's history
1818
Established February 6, 1818, by the Alabama Territory legislature. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 killed 14 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 34,803. The 2020 Census counted 33,073, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
2008
A tornado in February 2008 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $40 million in property damage and killed 14 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A tornado in December 2019 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lawrence County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lawrence County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Lawrence County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lawrence County ranks 2nd of the eight; Winston County is highest, at 33.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colbert County, AL | 73 | 14.9% | 30.2% |
| Winston County, AL | 68 | 16.1% | 33.1% |
| Franklin County, AL | 65 | 17.9% | 30.1% |
| Morgan County, AL | 60 | 15.2% | 25.3% |
| Lawrence County, AL | 59 | 16.1% | 30.9% |
| Cullman County, AL | 58 | 14.1% | 25.7% |
| Lauderdale County, AL | 55 | 12.8% | 28.4% |
| Limestone County, AL | 38 | 10.3% | 18.8% |
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 Lawrence County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Lawrence County's poverty rate was 16.1% in 2024, 47th 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, Lawrence County ranks 55th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lawrence 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.
Download the CSV for Lawrence 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 Lawrence County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.