About one in four people in Winston County, Alabama, has a disability
In Winston County, 22.9% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Winston County's score
In Winston County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 79.4. Bankruptcy filings ran at 283.8 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 89% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 73.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Winston 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.
Winston County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (10.6%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.4% · August 202569th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people283.8 · 202589th percentile
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- 73.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.5% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.1% · second quarter of 202677th percentile
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- 73.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.1% · 202471st percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.2% · 202473rd percentile
- People with a disability22.9% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- People without health insurance8.9% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,945 · 202473rd percentile
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- 56.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202621st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.1% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
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- 21.4 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 rent10.6% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.8% · fiscal year 202729th 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 Winston 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 Winston County, 22.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Winston County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Winston County had its largest rise, from 11.0% in 1969 to 19.2% in 1974.
In Winston County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 33.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Winston County, Alabama, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Winston County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.4% in 2010 to 17.4% in 2011.
The share of households in Winston County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 13.3% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Winston County, Alabama.
How Winston County has changed
Winston County's population had its largest rise, from 16,548 in 1969 to 20,125 in 1974.
Winston County's population rose 44% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 24,691 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Winston County, Alabama.
The number of jobs located in Winston County had its largest rise, from 8,470 in 1990 to 11,484 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Winston County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 29% since
High on the chart: 11,484 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Winston County, Alabama.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.9% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.1% | 2024 16.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,317 | 2024 $58,945 |
The table uses 3.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Winston County's history
1974
A tornado in April 1974 killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1987
A tornado in May 1987 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 24,843. The 2020 Census counted 23,540, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
2002
A tornado in November 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $11.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Winston County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Winston County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Winston County, two score higher. Of the group, Winston County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (33.1%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County, AL | 81 | 16.3% | 32.3% |
| Walker County, AL | 75 | 18.1% | 29.9% |
| Winston County, AL | 68 | 16.1% | 33.1% |
| Franklin County, AL | 65 | 17.9% | 30.1% |
| Lawrence County, AL | 59 | 16.1% | 30.9% |
| 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 Winston County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Winston County's poverty rate was 16.1% in 2024, 47th 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, Winston County ranks 46th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Winston 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 Winston 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 Winston County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.