In Wilcox County, Alabama, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2014
In 2024, 46 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (45.5%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 99% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wilcox County's score
In Wilcox County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 95.0. About two in five people with a credit file (43.8%, August 2025) have unpaid debt sent to a collector, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 95.0.
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.
Wilcox County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Wilcox 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.
- 95.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector43.8% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people372.1 · 202595th percentile
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- 95.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind12.0% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a credit card behind12.2% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.5% · Q4 202595th percentile
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- 93.1 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working41.0% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.8% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202691st percentile
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- 88.6 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 income30.1% · fiscal year 202795th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.9% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
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- 85.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line52.5% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability21.1% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$36,703 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line34.0% · 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance8.7% · 2020 to 202457th 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 Wilcox 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
Wilcox County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Wilcox County in 2024, pay from work was 41 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 13 cents. Benefit checks were 46 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 76 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 14 cents.
In Wilcox County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2014
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Wilcox County, Alabama: 45.5% and 41.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 45.5% of all personal income in Wilcox 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 Wilcox County, 21.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Wilcox County has changed
The number of people living in Wilcox County fell by about half between 1969 and 2024, from 17,979 to 9,865. The number of jobs located there fell by about three in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 12.5% in 1990 to 5.6% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 17,979 | 2024 9,865 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 4,012 | 2024 2,682 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.5% | 2025 5.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 45.5% | 2024 34.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $13,401 | 2024 $36,703 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 13.8% | 2024 45.5% |
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 Wilcox County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 35,631. The 2020 Census counted 10,600, 30% of the peak. Census Bureau
2007
Tornado: $2 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wilcox County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Wilcox County beside its neighbors
Wilcox County scores higher than all six counties that border it. Of the group, Wilcox County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (45.5%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilcox County, AL | 99 | 34.0% | 45.5% |
| Dallas County, AL | 99 | 29.6% | 39.8% |
| Lowndes County, AL | 97 | 25.0% | 32.3% |
| Monroe County, AL | 95 | 21.2% | 37.4% |
| Butler County, AL | 94 | 20.3% | 32.2% |
| Marengo County, AL | 92 | 21.6% | 34.2% |
| Clarke County, AL | 91 | 17.8% | 35.7% |
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 Wilcox County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Wilcox County's poverty rate was 34.0% in 2024, 2nd 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, Wilcox County ranks 2nd of 67 in the state.
Wilcox County, Alabama: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Wilcox County, Alabama?
34.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in three people. Among children it was 52.5%.
Is Wilcox County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Wilcox County's poverty rate was 34.0% in 2024, 2nd 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, Wilcox County ranks 2nd of 67 in the state.
What is the population of Wilcox County, Alabama?
About 9,865 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 10,600, 30% of the county's peak of 35,631 in 1900.
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 Wilcox 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 Wilcox 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 Wilcox County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.