Unemployment in St. Clair County, Alabama, is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties
In St. Clair County, 2.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives St. Clair County's score
In St. Clair County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 78.4. Jobs are the lowest part, at 30.3. Unemployment averaged 2.7%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, lower than in 93% 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, St. Clair County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (362.1, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where St. Clair 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.
- 78.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.5% · August 202562nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people362.1 · 202594th percentile
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- 67.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.5% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.2% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.2% · Q4 202572nd percentile
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- 38.4 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 income21.4% · fiscal year 202757th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent12.0% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
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- 34.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line12.3% · 202424th percentile
- People with a disability16.7% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,980 · 202425th percentile
- People below the poverty line9.7% · 202419th percentile
- People without health insurance7.2% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
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- 30.3 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average2.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 20266th 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 St. Clair 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
St. Clair County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In St. Clair County in 2024, pay from work was 61 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 13 cents. Benefit checks were 26 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 10 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In St. Clair County, benefit checks rose from 10 to 26 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, St. Clair County, Alabama: 25.8% and 61.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 25.8% of all personal income in St. Clair 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 St. Clair County, 17.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How St. Clair County has changed
The number of people living in St. Clair County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 27,787 to 96,927. The number of jobs located there more than doubled from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.6% in 1990 to 2.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 27,787 | 2024 96,927 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 9,652 | 2024 21,980 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.6% | 2025 2.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.7% | 2024 9.7% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $24,336 | 2024 $76,980 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 10.4% | 2024 25.8% |
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 St. Clair County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 91,103, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1818
Established on November 20, 1818, by the Alabama Territory legislature by splitting the area from Shelby County. Wikipedia
1973
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1994
Tornado: 22 deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
Thunderstorm wind: three deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Tornado: $200 million in property damage, 13 deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered St. Clair County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
St. Clair County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border St. Clair County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, St. Clair County ranks 4th of the seven; Etowah County is highest, at 35.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calhoun County, AL | 90 | 18.5% | 32.6% |
| Talladega County, AL | 89 | 19.0% | 33.2% |
| Etowah County, AL | 85 | 17.2% | 35.2% |
| Jefferson County, AL | 83 | 14.2% | 17.6% |
| Blount County, AL | 60 | 11.7% | 25.1% |
| St. Clair County, AL | 49 | 9.7% | 25.8% |
| Shelby County, AL | 23 | 6.8% | 14.2% |
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 St. Clair County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, St. Clair County's poverty rate was 9.7% in 2024, 65th 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, St. Clair County ranks 62nd of 67 in the state.
St. Clair County in photographs
Places in St. Clair County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
St.
Aesculus parviflora, small trees in mesic forest, where Little Canoe Creek crosses Red Mountain, St.
Photo: Mason Brock ( Masebrock ) via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
St. Clair County, Alabama: common questions
What is the poverty rate in St. Clair County, Alabama?
9.7% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 10 people. Among children it was 12.3%.
Is St. Clair County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, St. Clair County's poverty rate was 9.7% in 2024, 65th 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, St. Clair County ranks 62nd of 67 in the state.
What is the population of St. Clair County, Alabama?
About 96,927 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 91,103, 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 St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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 St. Clair County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.