Unemployment in Kent County, Delaware, is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties
In Kent County, 5.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 76% 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 median household's income (fiscal year 2027), higher than in 83% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 79.3.
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.
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).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Kent 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.
- 80.7 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.0% · fiscal year 202783rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.0% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
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- 79.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.4% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a credit card behind8.0% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.0% · Q4 202574th 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
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.4% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202688th percentile
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- 35.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line14.4% · 202435th percentile
- People with a disability16.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,240 · 202422nd percentile
- People below the poverty line10.2% · 202423rd percentile
- People without health insurance6.6% · 2020 to 202438th 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 Kent 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
Kent County
Delaware
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Kent County in 2024, pay from work was 58 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 16 cents. Benefit checks were 27 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 6 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Kent County, benefit checks rose from 6 to 27 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Kent County, Delaware: 26.7% and 57.8% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 26.7% of all personal income in Kent County, Delaware (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 Kent County, 18.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Kent County has changed
The number of people living in Kent County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 80,668 to 192,690. The number of jobs located there grew by about 74% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment rose from 4.3% in 1990 to 5.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 80,668 | 2024 192,690 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 40,789 | 2024 71,071 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.3% | 2024 10.2% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $27,452 | 2024 $78,240 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 5.9% | 2024 26.7% |
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 Kent County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 181,851, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1983
Tornado: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1988
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
Thunderstorm wind: $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Kent County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 76 | 10.2% | 26.7% |
| Caroline County, MD | 62 | 11.1% | 27.8% |
| New Castle County, DE | 60 | 10.3% | 19.5% |
| Sussex County, DE | 42 | 9.5% | 26.3% |
| Kent County, MD | 33 | 14.6% | 24.5% |
| Queen Anne's County, MD | 13 | 6.1% | 15.5% |
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 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.
Kent County in photographs
Places in Kent County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The Courthouse — in Dover, Delaware.
Photo: Tim Kiser ( w:User:Malepheasant ) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5
Senator Biden, with Presidents of local Kent County Rotaries, participated in a combined Rotary session on April 26, 1999.
Photo: Office of Senator Joe Biden via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Kent County, Delaware: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Kent County, Delaware?
10.2% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 10 people. Among children it was 14.4%.
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.
What is the population of Kent County, Delaware?
About 192,690 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 181,851, the most of any census.
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 Kent 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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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
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,311 approved agencies 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 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 Kent County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.