About two in five people with a credit file in Talladega County, Alabama, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Talladega County, 39.8% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Talladega County's score
In Talladega County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 94.9. Bankruptcy filings ran at 385.8 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 90.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Talladega 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.
Talladega County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.6%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (17.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector39.8% · August 202594th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people385.8 · 202595th percentile
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- 90.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.6% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.9% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score56.4% · second quarter of 202691st percentile
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- 78.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.0% · 202483rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line28.3% · 202489th percentile
- People with a disability21.3% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- People without health insurance8.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,578 · 202481st percentile
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- 57.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202632nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.1% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
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- 49.9 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 rent17.3% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.1% · fiscal year 202754th 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 Talladega 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 Talladega County, 19.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Talladega County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Talladega County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 33.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Talladega County, Alabama, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Talladega County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.2% in 2010 to 17.3% in 2011.
The share of households in Talladega County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 13.4% 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, Talladega County, Alabama.
How Talladega County has changed
Talladega County's population had its largest rise, from 68,185 in 1974 to 73,504 in 1979.
Talladega County's population rose by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 81,375
High on the chart: 82,674 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Talladega County, Alabama.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Talladega County rose 36% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2000 and 2005
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 30,579. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Talladega County, Alabama.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.3% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.8% | 2024 19.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,464 | 2024 $55,578 |
The table uses 3.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Talladega County's history
1832
Established on December 18, 1832, from land ceded by the Creek Indians near the state's geographic center. The county seat was established at Talladega in 1834. Wikipedia
1973
A tornado in May 1973 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
A tornado in March 1991 killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1994
A thunderstorm in June 1994 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 82,291. The 2020 Census counted 82,149, 100% of the peak. Census Bureau
2025
A tornado in March 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Talladega County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Talladega County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Talladega County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Talladega County ranks 3rd of the seven; Coosa County is highest, at 36.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calhoun County, AL | 90 | 18.5% | 32.6% |
| Talladega County, AL | 89 | 19.0% | 33.2% |
| Coosa County, AL | 77 | 19.1% | 36.0% |
| Clay County, AL | 76 | 17.4% | 34.6% |
| Cleburne County, AL | 58 | 14.0% | 28.5% |
| 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 Talladega County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Talladega County's poverty rate was 19.0% in 2024, 25th 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, Talladega County ranks 26th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Talladega 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 Talladega 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 Talladega County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.