Unemployment in Clay County, Florida, is higher than in 77% of U.S. counties
In Clay County, 4.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 77% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clay County's score
In Clay County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 73.2. About one in four renters (23.1%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 78% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 72.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Clay 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.
Clay County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($89,972, 2024) and people below the poverty line (9.1%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 73.2 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 rent23.1% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.6% · fiscal year 202767th percentile
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- 72.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.2% · August 202568th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people208.2 · 202576th percentile
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- 59.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.0% · August 202574th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.8% · second quarter of 202648th percentile
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- 57.6 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 working18.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
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- 27.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.1% · 202415th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.4% · 202419th percentile
- People with a disability14.5% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- People without health insurance8.2% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$89,972 · 202410th 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 Clay 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 Clay County, 17.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Clay County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Clay County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 23.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Clay County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 23.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Clay County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.0% in 2011 to 8.9% in 2012.
The share of households in Clay County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 4.8% 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, Clay County, Florida.
How Clay County has changed
Clay County's population had its largest rise, from 163,238 in 2004 to 189,101 in 2009.
Clay County's population grew to about eight times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 236,760, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 197,429. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Clay County, Florida.
The number of jobs located in Clay County had its largest rise, from 29,430 in 1995 to 39,410 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Clay County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 57,660, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 42,921. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Clay County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.4% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.7% | 2024 9.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $33,668 | 2024 $89,972 |
The table uses 4.1% 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 Clay County's history
1983
A tornado in April 1983 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
A thunderstorm in April 1991 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A tornado in March 2001 did $1.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 218,245, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
Lightning in May 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1992
35 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clay County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Clay County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Clay County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Clay County ranks 4th of the six; Putnam County is highest, at 39.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam County, FL | 95 | 20.7% | 39.1% |
| Duval County, FL | 84 | 12.2% | 20.2% |
| Bradford County, FL | 83 | 18.2% | 30.7% |
| Clay County, FL | 62 | 9.1% | 23.8% |
| Baker County, FL | 61 | 13.0% | 26.8% |
| St. Johns County, FL | 21 | 5.8% | 13.6% |
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 Clay County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Clay County's poverty rate was 9.1% in 2024, 60th 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, Clay County ranks 51st of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clay 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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Three Rivers Legal Services
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 Clay County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.