Monroe County, Alabama

County Distress Index: Elevated · 59.1 | 19,229 people · 24th most distressed in Alabama
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Monroe County, AL registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 59.1 — 896th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Debt & Delinquency, where residents carry heavy debt burdens with elevated delinquency and collections rates. Within Alabama, it ranks 24th of 67 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Monroe County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 85.8 — worse than roughly 86% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 85.8
Debt in Collections 88
Medical Debt 61
Student Loan Delinquency 91
Auto Loan Delinquency 91
Credit Card Delinquency 87
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 95
Income & Poverty 78.3
Poverty Rate 82
Income vs. State Median 66
Child Poverty Rate 87
Community Vulnerability 65.4
Uninsured Rate 72
Disability Rate 59
Employment & Wages 38.3
Unemployment Rate 78
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 5
Business Formation Rate 32
Housing Cost Burden 27.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 21
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 12
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 9
Homeownership Rate 70
Rent-to-Income Ratio 27

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Monroe County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Monroe County
Monroe County, AL 59.1 Elevated —
Wilcox County, AL 66.9 Serious +7.8
Butler County, AL 66.2 Serious +7.1
Conecuh County, AL 64.0 Elevated +4.8
Escambia County, AL 60.8 Elevated +1.6
Clarke County, AL 57.4 Elevated -1.7
Baldwin County, AL 41.0 Normal -18.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Monroe County
Randolph County, WV 59.1 Elevated 0.0
Barton County, MO 59.1 Elevated -0.0
Edgefield County, SC 59.1 Elevated -0.0
Boyd County, KY 59.1 Elevated +0.0
Laclede County, MO 59.1 Elevated -0.0

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Monroe County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Monroe County

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Monroe County, Alabama?

    Monroe County has a County Distress Index score of 59.1 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 896th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 24th in Alabama out of 67 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Monroe County?

    The primary driver of distress in Monroe County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 85.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Monroe County compare to neighboring counties?

    Monroe County (59.1) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Wilcox County, AL (66.9); Butler County, AL (66.2); Conecuh County, AL (64.0).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Monroe County?

    Monroe County, Alabama has a population of approximately 19,229 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.