About three in ten people with a credit file in Marshall County, Alabama, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Marshall County, 30.9% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 76% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Marshall County's score
In Marshall County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 73.5. People with a car or retail loan behind: 7.6%, August 2025, higher than in 80% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 73.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Marshall 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.
Marshall County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (2.7%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (17.1%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 73.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.6% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.6% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.5% · second quarter of 202673rd percentile
-
- 73.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.9% · August 202576th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people180.6 · 202570th percentile
-
- 63.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.9% · 202470th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.5% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability16.3% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance12.0% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,913 · 202455th percentile
-
- 40.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.5% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
-
- 26.4 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 rent16.2% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.1% · fiscal year 202714th percentile
-
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 Marshall 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 Marshall County, 17.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Marshall County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Marshall County had its largest rise, from 20.1% in 2004 to 26.1% in 2009.
In Marshall County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 26.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Marshall County, Alabama, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Marshall County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 13.7% in 2019 to 11.7% in 2020.
The share of households in Marshall County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 12.4%
Low on the chart: 10.4% 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, Marshall County, Alabama.
How Marshall County has changed
Marshall County's population had its largest rise, from 85,131 in 2004 to 92,213 in 2009.
Marshall County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 102,156, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 70,563. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Marshall County, Alabama.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Marshall County rose by about a third to 41,043, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 35,543. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Marshall County, Alabama.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.0% | 2025 2.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.8% | 2024 15.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,850 | 2024 $64,913 |
The table uses 2.4% for 2025; the score uses 2.7% 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 Marshall County's history
1836
Established on January 9, 1836. Wikipedia
2010
A tornado in April 2010 did $14 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Lightning in July 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A thunderstorm in August 2015 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 97,612, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1973
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Marshall County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Marshall County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Marshall County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Marshall County ranks 4th of the eight; Etowah County is highest, at 35.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Etowah County, AL | 85 | 17.2% | 35.2% |
| DeKalb County, AL | 71 | 21.3% | 30.3% |
| Jackson County, AL | 67 | 17.0% | 30.7% |
| Morgan County, AL | 60 | 15.2% | 25.3% |
| Blount County, AL | 60 | 11.7% | 25.1% |
| Marshall County, AL | 58 | 15.9% | 26.0% |
| Cullman County, AL | 58 | 14.1% | 25.7% |
| 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 Marshall County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Marshall County's poverty rate was 15.9% in 2024, 50th 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, Marshall County ranks 57th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Marshall 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.
-
Legal Services Alabama
Legal aid
-
Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service
Lawyer referral
-
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 Marshall 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 Marshall County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.