Unemployment in Limestone County, Alabama, is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties
In Limestone County, 2.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Limestone County's score
In Limestone County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 65.4. Jobs are the lowest part, at 30.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Limestone 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.
Even so, Limestone County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (226.8, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.4 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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- 48.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.0% · second quarter of 202641st percentile
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- 41.5 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 rent15.8% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.4% · fiscal year 202746th percentile
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- 30.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.3% · 202424th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.5% · 202420th percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance7.8% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,991 · 202421st percentile
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- 30.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.7% · 2020 to 202456th 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 Limestone 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 Limestone County, 15.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Limestone County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Limestone County rose most from 13.4% in 1999 to 19.4% in 2009, 3.0 points each step.
In Limestone County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 18.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Limestone County, Alabama, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Limestone County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.3% in 2012 to 13.0% in 2013.
The share of households in Limestone County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 7.9% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Limestone County, Alabama.
How Limestone County has changed
Limestone County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 101,057 in 2019 to 118,942 in 2024.
Limestone County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 118,942, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 45,008. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Limestone County, Alabama.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Limestone County nearly doubled to 34,737, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 34,737 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Limestone County, Alabama.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.6% | 2025 2.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.3% | 2024 10.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,176 | 2024 $78,991 |
The table uses 2.4% for 2025; the score uses 2.6% 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 Limestone County's history
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
A tornado in April 1974 killed 11 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1974
A tornado in April 1974 killed five people. 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
A tornado in April 2011 did $1 billion in property damage and killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A tornado in April 2014 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 103,570, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Limestone County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
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 | 65 | 13.3% | 30.2% |
| Morgan County, AL | 60 | 15.2% | 25.3% |
| Lawrence County, AL | 59 | 16.1% | 30.9% |
| Lauderdale County, AL | 55 | 12.8% | 28.4% |
| Lincoln County, TN | 52 | 12.1% | 26.8% |
| Limestone County, AL | 38 | 10.3% | 18.8% |
| Madison County, AL | 36 | 9.6% | 17.3% |
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 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.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Limestone 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 Limestone 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 Limestone County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.