About two in five people with a credit file in Randolph County, Alabama, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Randolph County, 37.1% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Randolph County's score
In Randolph County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 93.5. Bankruptcy filings ran at 434.5 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 97% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 89.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Randolph 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.
Randolph County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.5%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.4%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector37.1% · August 202589th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people434.5 · 202597th percentile
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- 89.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.6% · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.9% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.9% · second quarter of 202682nd percentile
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- 72.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.6% · 202482nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.8% · 202481st percentile
- People with a disability16.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- People without health insurance9.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,403 · 202483rd percentile
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- 48.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202627th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.2% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
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- 47.1 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 rent17.7% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.4% · fiscal year 202746th 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 Randolph 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 Randolph County, 21.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Randolph County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Randolph County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 36.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Randolph County, Alabama, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Randolph County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.5% in 2009 to 14.1% in 2010.
The share of households in Randolph County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 18.8%
High on the chart: 18.8% in 2013. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Randolph County, Alabama.
How Randolph County has changed
Randolph County's population rose by about a quarter to 23,067, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 21,104. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Randolph County, Alabama.
The number of jobs located in Randolph County fell most sharply on the way to its 2010 low, from 5,593 in 2005 to 4,639 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Randolph County fell 13% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 5,734 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Randolph County, Alabama.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.8% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.6% | 2024 18.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,853 | 2024 $54,403 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Randolph County's history
1832
Established by the Alabama Legislature on December 18, 1832, following Indian Removal of the Creek people. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 27,064. The 2020 Census counted 21,967, 81% of the peak. Census Bureau
1974
A tornado in January 1974 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1985
A thunderstorm in April 1985 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
A tornado in March 1989 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
A tornado in November 1992 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Randolph County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Randolph County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Randolph County, in Alabama and Georgia, four score higher. Of the group, Randolph County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (36.1%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chambers County, AL | 90 | 18.9% | 35.7% |
| Troup County, GA | 86 | 14.9% | 27.4% |
| Carroll County, GA | 85 | 13.3% | 22.9% |
| Heard County, GA | 84 | 12.5% | 28.6% |
| Randolph County, AL | 83 | 18.6% | 36.1% |
| Clay County, AL | 76 | 17.4% | 34.6% |
| Tallapoosa County, AL | 71 | 17.0% | 31.2% |
| Cleburne County, AL | 58 | 14.0% | 28.5% |
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 Randolph County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Randolph County's poverty rate was 18.6% in 2024, 28th 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, Randolph County ranks 30th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Randolph 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 Randolph 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 Randolph County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.