About one in five people in Walker County, Alabama, has a disability
In Walker County, 22.2% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Walker County's score
In Walker County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 85.8. Bankruptcy filings ran at 299.7 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 90% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 81.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Walker 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.
Walker County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.1%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector32.5% · August 202580th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people299.7 · 202590th percentile
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- 81.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.4% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score52.6% · second quarter of 202685th percentile
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- 77.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.1% · 202480th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.5% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability22.2% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- People without health insurance9.6% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,993 · 202475th percentile
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- 50.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202613th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.7% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
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- 31.3 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 rent13.4% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.6% · fiscal year 202738th 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 Walker 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 Walker County, 19.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Walker County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Walker County had its largest rise, from 14.2% in 1969 to 20.8% in 1974.
In Walker County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 29.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Walker County, Alabama, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Walker County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.1% in 2010 to 14.7% in 2011.
The share of households in Walker County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 10.9% 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, Walker County, Alabama.
How Walker County has changed
Walker County's population rose most sharply from its first year (56,849 in 1969) to 64,091 in 1974.
Walker County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 70,784 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Walker County, Alabama.
The number of jobs located in Walker County had its largest rise in the last span, from 17,326 in 2020 to 18,858 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Walker County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990
High on the chart: 19,089 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Walker County, Alabama.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.4% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.3% | 2024 18.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,838 | 2024 $57,993 |
The table uses 2.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Walker County's history
1823
Established on December 26, 1823, and formed from sections of Marion and Tuscaloosa counties. Wikipedia
1957
A tornado in November 1957 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 70,713. The 2020 Census counted 65,342, 92% of the peak. Census Bureau
2002
A tornado in November 2002 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed seven people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A tornado in November 2002 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $115 million in property damage and killed nine people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Walker County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Walker County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Walker County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Walker County ranks 4th of the eight; Fayette County is highest, at 36.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, AL | 82 | 14.2% | 17.6% |
| Marion County, AL | 81 | 16.3% | 32.3% |
| Fayette County, AL | 79 | 17.5% | 36.4% |
| Walker County, AL | 75 | 18.1% | 29.9% |
| Tuscaloosa County, AL | 74 | 16.5% | 22.8% |
| Winston County, AL | 68 | 16.1% | 33.1% |
| Blount County, AL | 60 | 11.7% | 25.1% |
| Cullman County, AL | 58 | 14.1% | 25.7% |
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 Walker County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Walker County's poverty rate was 18.1% in 2024, 30th 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, Walker County ranks 40th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Walker 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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Walker County Community Action Agency
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Walker 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 Walker County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.