Unemployment in St. Clair County, Alabama, is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties
In St. Clair County, 2.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 51% 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.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in St. Clair 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, St. Clair County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (362.1, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 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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- 65.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.2% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.5% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.9% · second quarter of 202666th percentile
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- 38.4 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 rent12.0% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.4% · fiscal year 202757th percentile
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- 34.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.7% · 202419th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.3% · 202424th percentile
- People with a disability16.7% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- People without health insurance7.2% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,980 · 202425th percentile
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- 30.3 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 20266th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.4% · 2020 to 202453rd 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 St. Clair 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 St. Clair County, 17.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
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, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 25.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In St. Clair County, Alabama, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in St. Clair County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.9% in 2010 to 12.1% in 2011.
The share of households in St. Clair County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 8.8% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, St. Clair County, Alabama.
How St. Clair County has changed
St. Clair County's population had its largest rise, from 70,416 in 2004 to 83,009 in 2009.
St. Clair County's population more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 96,927, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 86,276. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, St. Clair County, Alabama.
The number of jobs located in St. Clair County had its largest rise in the last span, from 18,836 in 2020 to 22,380 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in St. Clair County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 22,380, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 18,836. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, St. Clair County, Alabama.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.6% | 2025 2.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.7% | 2024 9.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,336 | 2024 $76,980 |
The table uses 2.3% 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 St. Clair County's history
1818
Established on November 20, 1818, by the Alabama Territory legislature by splitting the area from Shelby County. Wikipedia
1973
A tornado in May 1973 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1994
A tornado in March 1994 killed 22 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
A thunderstorm in July 1995 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $200 million in property damage and killed 13 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 91,103, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered St. Clair County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
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 | 82 | 14.2% | 17.6% |
| Blount County, AL | 60 | 11.7% | 25.1% |
| St. Clair County, AL | 48 | 9.7% | 25.8% |
| Shelby County, AL | 21 | 6.8% | 14.2% |
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 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.
If you're behind on your mortgage in St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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 St. Clair County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.