In Bay County, Florida, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Bay County, 26.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bay County's score
In Bay County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 83.6. Late payments on loans come next, at 58.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bay 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.
Bay County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (78.6, 2025) and median household income ($76,080, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 83.6 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 rent23.4% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.0% · fiscal year 202787th percentile
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- 58.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.0% · second quarter of 202660th percentile
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- 53.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.6% · 202436th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.8% · 202453rd percentile
- People with a disability17.4% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- People without health insurance14.4% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,080 · 202427th percentile
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- 51.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202672nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.5% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
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- 47.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.5% · August 202569th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people78.6 · 202525th 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 Bay 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 Bay 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
Bay County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Bay County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 24.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Bay County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bay County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.7% in 2011 to 10.8% in 2012.
The share of households in Bay County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 12.6%
Low on the chart: 7.5% 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, Bay County, Florida.
How Bay County has changed
Bay County's population tripled to 199,718, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 199,718. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bay County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Bay County nearly doubled to 83,251, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 83,251. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bay County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.2% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.4% | 2024 11.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,194 | 2024 $76,080 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Bay County's history
2003
A rip current in July 2003 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A tornado in September 2004 did $5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
Lightning in August 2012 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 175,216, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A tornado in January 2024 did $15.35 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
46 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bay County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bay County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Bay County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bay County ranks 5th of the six; Jackson County is highest, at 39.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calhoun County, FL | 89 | 19.2% | 37.9% |
| Jackson County, FL | 88 | 19.4% | 39.2% |
| Gulf County, FL | 74 | 16.0% | 30.7% |
| Washington County, FL | 72 | 14.9% | 35.6% |
| Bay County, FL | 64 | 11.6% | 24.4% |
| Walton County, FL | 50 | 10.6% | 13.4% |
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 Bay County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Bay County's poverty rate was 11.6% in 2024, 43rd highest of 67 in Florida (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Hamilton County, at 25.3%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Bay County ranks 49th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bay 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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City of Panama City Community Development Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Services of North Florida
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 Bay County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.