In Brevard County, Florida, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Brevard County, 27.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Brevard County's score
In Brevard County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 93.3. About three in ten renters (28.6%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 63.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Brevard 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.
Brevard County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($78,154, 2024) and people below the poverty line (10.1%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.3 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 rent28.6% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.3% · fiscal year 202791st percentile
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- 63.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202677th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.6% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
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- 61.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.8% · August 202552nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people179.8 · 202569th percentile
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- 47.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.3% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.7% · second quarter of 202640th percentile
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- 39.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.1% · 202423rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.7% · 202431st percentile
- People with a disability16.3% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance9.8% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,154 · 202423rd 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 Brevard 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 Brevard County, 24.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Brevard County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Brevard County had its largest rise, from 4.4% in 1969 to 10.0% in 1974.
In Brevard County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about six times its 1969 level, reaching 24.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Brevard County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income grew to about six times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 24.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Brevard County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.3% in 2012 to 11.1% in 2013.
The share of households in Brevard County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 5.4% 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, Brevard County, Florida.
How Brevard County has changed
Brevard County's population had its largest rise, from 322,780 in 1984 to 384,423 in 1989.
Brevard County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 658,447, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 555,669. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Brevard County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Brevard County rose by about half to 243,568, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 243,568. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Brevard County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.5% | 2024 10.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,229 | 2024 $78,154 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.9% 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 Brevard County's history
1983
A tornado in March 1983 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1994
A tornado in November 1994 did $50 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A wildfire in July 1998 did $200 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in August 2008 did $70 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 606,612, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
41 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Brevard County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Brevard County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Brevard County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Brevard County ranks 2nd of the five; Volusia County is highest, at 28.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osceola County, FL | 88 | 13.0% | 23.7% |
| Volusia County, FL | 80 | 10.8% | 28.1% |
| Orange County, FL | 77 | 12.4% | 17.4% |
| Brevard County, FL | 68 | 10.1% | 24.7% |
| Indian River County, FL | 57 | 9.2% | 16.5% |
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 Brevard County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Brevard County's poverty rate was 10.1% in 2024, 55th 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, Brevard County ranks 46th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Brevard 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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Community Housing Initiative, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida (CLSMF)
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.
Download the CSV for Brevard 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 Brevard County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.