Unemployment in Kent County, Delaware, is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties
In Kent County, 5.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Kent County's score
In Kent County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 80.7. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 25.0% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), higher than in 83% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 75.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Kent 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.
Kent County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($78,240, 2024) and people below the poverty line (10.2%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.7 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.0% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.0% · fiscal year 202783rd percentile
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- 75.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.0% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.4% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.6% · second quarter of 202662nd percentile
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- 73.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.1% · August 202571st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people202.3 · 202575th percentile
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- 59.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202688th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.4% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
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- 35.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.2% · 202423rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.4% · 202435th percentile
- People with a disability16.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- People without health insurance6.6% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,240 · 202422nd 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 Kent 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 Kent County, 18.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Kent County
Delaware
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Kent County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 26.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Kent County, Delaware, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 26.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Kent County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.5% in 2011 to 13.2% in 2012.
The share of households in Kent County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 13.7%
Low on the chart: 8.5% 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, Kent County, Delaware.
How Kent County has changed
Kent County's population had its largest rise, from 139,342 in 2004 to 160,081 in 2009.
Kent County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 192,690, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 101,261. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Kent County, Delaware.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Kent County nearly doubled to 70,905, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 61,267. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Kent County, Delaware.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.3% | 2024 10.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,452 | 2024 $78,240 |
The table uses 5.3% for 2025; the score uses 5.5% 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 Kent County's history
1983
A tornado in July 1983 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1988
A tornado in June 1988 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in June 1998 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 181,851, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Kent County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Kent County beside its neighbors
Kent County scores higher than all five counties that border it, in Delaware and Maryland. For the share of income from benefit checks, Kent County ranks 2nd of the six; Caroline County is highest, at 27.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent County, DE | 74 | 10.2% | 26.7% |
| Caroline County, MD | 60 | 11.1% | 27.8% |
| New Castle County, DE | 58 | 10.3% | 19.5% |
| Sussex County, DE | 41 | 9.5% | 26.3% |
| Kent County, MD | 35 | 14.6% | 24.5% |
| Queen Anne's County, MD | 13 | 6.1% | 15.5% |
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 Kent County the poorest county in Delaware?
No, Kent County's poverty rate was 10.2% in 2024, 2nd highest of 3 in Delaware (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is New Castle County, at 10.3%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Kent County ranks 1st of 3 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Kent 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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First State Community Action Agency, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Neighborgood Partners
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. (CLASI)
Legal aid
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Delaware Volunteer Legal Services (DVLS)
Legal aid
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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.
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 Kent County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.