Unemployment in Limestone County, Alabama, is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties
In Limestone County, 2.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Limestone County's score
In Limestone County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 65.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 30.7. Unemployment averaged 2.6%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Even so, Limestone County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (226.8, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Limestone County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 65.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.1% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people226.8 · 202581st percentile
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- 53.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.7% · Q4 202555th percentile
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- 41.5 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.4% · fiscal year 202746th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent15.8% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
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- 30.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line11.5% · 202420th percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,991 · 202421st percentile
- People below the poverty line10.3% · 202424th percentile
- People without health insurance7.8% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
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- 30.7 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.7% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average2.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 20265th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Limestone County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Limestone County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Limestone County in 2024, pay from work was 66 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 16 cents. Benefit checks were 19 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 8 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Limestone County, benefit checks rose from 8 to 19 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Limestone County, Alabama: 18.8% and 65.5% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 18.8% of all personal income in Limestone County, Alabama (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Limestone County, 15.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Limestone County has changed
The number of people living in Limestone County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 41,645 to 118,942. The number of jobs located there grew by about 64% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.6% in 1990 to 2.4% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 41,645 | 2024 118,942 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 20,820 | 2024 34,080 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.6% | 2025 2.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.3% | 2024 10.3% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $26,176 | 2024 $78,991 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 7.9% | 2024 18.8% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Limestone County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 103,570, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1818
Established by the Alabama Territorial legislature on February 6, 1818. Wikipedia
1974
Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant, TVA installation, first operated in 1974, world's largest nuclear plant at the time. Wikipedia
1974
Tornado: 11 deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1974
Tornado: five deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1975
Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant fire on March 22, 1975 caused temporary threat to reactor control; near-meltdown incident. Wikipedia
2011
Tornado: $1 billion in property damage, four deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
Tornado: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Limestone County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Limestone County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Limestone County, in Alabama and Tennessee, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Limestone County ranks 6th of the seven; Lawrence County is highest, at 30.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giles County, TN | 63 | 13.3% | 30.2% |
| Morgan County, AL | 60 | 15.2% | 25.3% |
| Lawrence County, AL | 59 | 16.1% | 30.9% |
| Lauderdale County, AL | 54 | 12.8% | 28.4% |
| Lincoln County, TN | 51 | 12.1% | 26.8% |
| Limestone County, AL | 39 | 10.3% | 18.8% |
| Madison County, AL | 38 | 9.6% | 17.3% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Limestone County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Limestone County's poverty rate was 10.3% in 2024, 64th 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, Limestone County ranks 65th of 67 in the state.
Limestone County in photographs
Places in Limestone County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Limestone County Courthouse located in the center of downtown Athens, Alabama.
Condominium building completely destroyed by an EF3 tornado in Limestone County, Alabama.
Limestone County, Alabama: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Limestone County, Alabama?
10.3% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 10 people. Among children it was 11.5%.
Is Limestone County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Limestone County's poverty rate was 10.3% in 2024, 64th 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, Limestone County ranks 65th of 67 in the state.
What is the population of Limestone County, Alabama?
About 118,942 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 103,570, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Limestone County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Legal Services Alabama
Legal aid
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Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Limestone County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Limestone County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.