In Citrus County, Florida, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2014
In 2024, 41 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Citrus County's score
In Citrus County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 94.6. Unemployment averaged 6.8%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 96% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 84.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Citrus 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.
Citrus County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202696th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.9% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
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- 84.6 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent26.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.0% · fiscal year 202778th percentile
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- 67.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.5% · 202452nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.1% · 202455th percentile
- People with a disability21.5% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- People without health insurance10.4% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,737 · 202471st percentile
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- 62.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.8% · second quarter of 202652nd percentile
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- 55.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.4% · August 202558th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people133.8 · 202553rd 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 Citrus 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 Citrus County, 36.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Citrus County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Citrus County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2014
In Citrus County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 40.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Citrus County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 7.3% in 2010 to 9.5% in 2011; 10.5% in 2012 to 12.7% in 2013.
The share of households in Citrus County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 12.0%
Low on the chart: 6.0% 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, Citrus County, Florida.
How Citrus County has changed
Citrus County's population grew to about nine times its 1969 size, reaching 170,174, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 71,051. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Citrus County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Citrus County nearly doubled to 35,256, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 27,680. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Citrus County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.3% | 2025 5.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.3% | 2024 13.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,192 | 2024 $59,737 |
The table uses 5.8% for 2025; the score uses 6.8% 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 Citrus County's history
1887
Created June 2, 1887. Wikipedia
1895
Big Freeze of 1894-1895 caused dramatic decline in Citrus County citrus production. Wikipedia
1918
Phosphate mining was major industry after Big Freeze, continued until World War I. Wikipedia
1983
A tornado in April 1983 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1993
A tornado in March 1993 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
Lightning in July 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 153,843, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flood in September 2021 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
39 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Citrus County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Citrus County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Citrus County, one scores higher. Of the group, Citrus County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (40.9%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County, FL | 89 | 14.3% | 34.3% |
| Citrus County, FL | 87 | 13.5% | 40.9% |
| Levy County, FL | 87 | 17.6% | 32.5% |
| Hernando County, FL | 86 | 10.4% | 33.5% |
| Sumter County, FL | 42 | 8.8% | 35.0% |
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 Citrus County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Citrus County's poverty rate was 13.5% in 2024, 33rd 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, Citrus County ranks 17th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Citrus 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 Legal Services of Mid-florida, Inc. - Inverness Office
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 Citrus 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 Citrus County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.