In Collier County, Florida, benefit checks make up only 11 cents of every dollar of income
In Collier County, 10.5% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Collier County's score
In Collier County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 91.4. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 26.1. About three in ten people (30.7%, Q2 2026) have a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 84% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Collier 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.
Even so, Collier County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (32.2%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (25.2%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.4 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 rent32.2% · 2020 to 202498th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.2% · fiscal year 202784th percentile
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- 58.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202676th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.3% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
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- 36.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.7% · August 202525th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people120.2 · 202546th percentile
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- 29.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.4% · 202425th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.6% · 202431st percentile
- People with a disability11.3% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- People without health insurance11.3% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$97,022 · 20246th percentile
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- 26.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.5% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.7% · second quarter of 202615th 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 Collier 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 Collier County, 33.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Collier County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Collier County had its largest rise, from 9.3% in 2004 to 12.9% in 2009.
In Collier County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 10.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Collier County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 10.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Collier County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.2% in 2011 to 7.3% in 2012.
The share of households in Collier County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 5.6%
Low on the chart: 3.1% 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, Collier County, Florida.
How Collier County has changed
Collier County's population had its largest rise, from 191,132 in 1994 to 245,094 in 1999.
Collier County's population grew to more than ten times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 416,233, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 340,672. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Collier County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Collier County more than doubled to 172,466, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 172,466. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Collier County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.6% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.8% | 2024 10.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,883 | 2024 $97,022 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Collier County's history
1968
A tornado in November 1968 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
Lightning in August 1996 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A rip current in September 1997 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Lightning in April 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 375,752, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
47 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Collier County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Collier County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Collier County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Collier County ranks 5th of the six; Hendry County is highest, at 28.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hendry County, FL | 92 | 18.3% | 28.9% |
| Broward County, FL | 72 | 11.7% | 16.3% |
| Lee County, FL | 71 | 11.4% | 21.3% |
| Miami-Dade County, FL | 70 | 14.2% | 17.8% |
| Collier County, FL | 47 | 10.4% | 10.5% |
| Monroe County, FL | 46 | 10.9% | 9.9% |
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 Collier County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Collier County's poverty rate was 10.4% in 2024, 52nd 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, Collier County ranks 61st of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Collier 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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Housing Development Corporation of SW Florida, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South 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.
Download the CSV for Collier 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 Collier County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.