Columbia County, Florida

County Distress Index: Serious · 70.7 | 73,063 people · 10th most distressed in Florida
American Default Research

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Columbia County, FL shows significant household financial distress with a score of 70.7 — 177th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where uninsured and disability rates are well above the national average. Within Florida, it ranks 10th of 67 counties. It scores higher than all 8 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Columbia County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 83.2 — worse than roughly 83% of U.S. counties.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 83.2
Uninsured Rate 84
Disability Rate 82
Income & Poverty 73.2
Poverty Rate 73
Income vs. State Median 78
Child Poverty Rate 69
Debt & Delinquency 70.5
Debt in Collections 86
Medical Debt 45
Student Loan Delinquency 89
Auto Loan Delinquency 85
Credit Card Delinquency 72
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 47
Housing Cost Burden 65.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 71
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 58
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 44
Homeownership Rate 67
Rent-to-Income Ratio 88
Employment & Wages 61.2
Unemployment Rate 87
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 83
Business Formation Rate 14

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Columbia County compares to its 8 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Columbia County
Columbia County, FL 70.7 Serious —
Hamilton County, FL 69.3 Serious -1.4
Clinch County, GA 67.4 Serious -3.3
Suwannee County, FL 66.5 Serious -4.3
Union County, FL 62.6 Elevated -8.1
Echols County, GA 62.3 Elevated -8.5
Gilchrist County, FL 60.8 Elevated -9.9
Alachua County, FL 57.8 Elevated -12.9
Baker County, FL 56.5 Elevated -14.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Columbia County
Comanche County, OK 70.7 Serious +0.0
Portsmouth city, VA 70.7 Serious +0.0
Butte County, CA 70.7 Serious -0.0
Caddo Parish, LA 70.7 Serious -0.0
Polk County, TX 70.8 Serious +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Columbia County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Columbia County

Find an Attorney

The Florida Bar — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

The Florida Bar — Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-342-8011

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Columbia County residents at no cost.

Florida Rural Legal Services (FRLS) 1-239-334-4554
Legal Services of Greater Miami (LSGMI) 1-305-576-0080
Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida 1-954-736-2400
Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida (CLSMF) 1-800-405-1417
Bay Area Legal Services 1-800-625-2257
Legal Services of North Florida 1-850-385-9007
Three Rivers Legal Services 1-866-256-8091

Self-Help Resources

The Florida Bar — Foreclosure Crisis Help for Consumers Official Florida Bar resource page for homeowners facing foreclosure, including information on finding an attorney, legal aid referrals, and understanding the foreclosure process.
Florida Courts — Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Cases Florida Supreme Court page with information on residential mortgage foreclosure cases, including links to administrative orders, mediation resources, and the Managed Mediation program.
Florida AG — Resources Available to Distressed Homeowners Florida Attorney General's office page with resources for distressed homeowners, including information on mortgage fraud, foreclosure rescue scams, and how to file complaints.
Florida LawHelp Statewide legal aid directory connecting Floridians with free legal information and local legal aid providers for foreclosure prevention and other civil legal needs.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in Florida →

Continue Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Columbia County, Florida?

    Columbia County has a County Distress Index score of 70.7 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 177th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 10th in Florida out of 67 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Columbia County?

    The primary driver of distress in Columbia County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 83.2 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Columbia County compare to neighboring counties?

    Columbia County (70.7) can be compared to its 8 neighboring counties: Hamilton County, FL (69.3); Clinch County, GA (67.4); Suwannee County, FL (66.5).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Columbia County?

    Columbia County, Florida has a population of approximately 73,063 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.