Unemployment in Charlotte County, Florida, is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties
In Charlotte County, 5.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Charlotte County's score
In Charlotte County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 89.5. Jobs come next, at 75.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Charlotte 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.
Charlotte County does better than most counties on two measures: people below the poverty line (9.3%, 2024) and children below the poverty line (13.1%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.5 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 rent26.9% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.0% · fiscal year 202787th percentile
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- 75.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202691st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.2% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
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- 48.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.3% · August 202531st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people166.4 · 202565th percentile
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- 44.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.3% · 202417th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.1% · 202428th percentile
- People with a disability19.8% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- People without health insurance9.7% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,816 · 202433rd percentile
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- 44.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.0% · second quarter of 202629th 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 Charlotte 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 Charlotte County, 40.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Charlotte County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Charlotte County had its largest rise, from 25.8% in 2004 to 32.3% in 2009.
In Charlotte County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 32.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Charlotte County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Charlotte County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.8% in 2011 to 8.8% in 2012.
The share of households in Charlotte County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 3.6% 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, Charlotte County, Florida.
How Charlotte County has changed
Charlotte County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 183,378 in 2019 to 212,122 in 2024.
Charlotte County's population grew to about eight times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 212,122, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2004 to 2009, reaching 159,629. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Charlotte County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Charlotte County doubled to 57,200, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 57,200. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Charlotte County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.7% | 2024 9.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,546 | 2024 $72,816 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.8% 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 Charlotte County's history
1968
A tornado in July 1968 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1993
A tornado in April 1993 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Lightning in March 2001 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Lightning in August 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 186,847, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1968
40 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Charlotte County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Charlotte County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Charlotte County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Charlotte County ranks 3rd of the six; Highlands County is highest, at 41.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands County, FL | 94 | 15.5% | 41.2% |
| DeSoto County, FL | 93 | 21.8% | 36.9% |
| Glades County, FL | 86 | 17.2% | 31.0% |
| Lee County, FL | 71 | 11.4% | 21.3% |
| Charlotte County, FL | 67 | 9.3% | 32.8% |
| Sarasota County, FL | 49 | 8.6% | 19.2% |
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 Charlotte County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Charlotte County's poverty rate was 9.3% in 2024, 58th 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, Charlotte County ranks 48th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Charlotte 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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Florida Rural Legal Services (FRLS)
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 Charlotte 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 Charlotte County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.