Unemployment in DeSoto County, Florida, is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties
In DeSoto County, 5.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 93% of U.S. counties.
What drives DeSoto County's score
In DeSoto County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 88.9. About one in five people (19.9%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 96% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 86.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in DeSoto 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.
DeSoto County does better than most counties on one measure: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (119.5, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.8% · 202491st percentile
- Children below the poverty line30.8% · 202492nd percentile
- People with a disability21.3% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- People without health insurance19.9% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,325 · 202477th percentile
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- 86.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202691st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.2% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
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- 78.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.3% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.7% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.8% · second quarter of 202674th percentile
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- 71.9 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 rent22.2% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.8% · fiscal year 202769th percentile
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- 65.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.3% · August 202584th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people119.5 · 202546th 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 DeSoto 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 DeSoto County, 23.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
DeSoto County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In DeSoto County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 36.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a fifth more than benefit checks
In DeSoto County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in DeSoto County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.2% in 2009 to 12.6% in 2010.
The share of households in DeSoto County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 22.4%
High on the chart: 22.6% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, DeSoto County, Florida.
How DeSoto County has changed
DeSoto County's population tripled to 36,744, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 27,693. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, DeSoto County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in DeSoto County rose by about a quarter to 9,848, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2015 and 2020
Biggest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 9,288. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, DeSoto County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.1% | 2024 21.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,157 | 2024 $57,325 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.9% 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 DeSoto County's history
1841
Camp Ogden/Fort Ogden built 1841 as staging area during 2nd Seminole War. Wikipedia
1917
Carlstrom Field operated as Army Air Service training field 1917-1922 and military training facility 1941-1945. Wikipedia
1945
Carlstrom Field air base operated for pilot training WWII, decommissioned 1945. Wikipedia
1996
Lightning in June 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A flash flood in September 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A flood in March 1998 did $3.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
Hurricane Charley struck DeSoto County August 13, 2004 damaging most structures. Wikipedia
2008
Lightning in June 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 34,862. The 2020 Census counted 33,976, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
36 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered DeSoto County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
DeSoto County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border DeSoto County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, DeSoto County ranks 2nd 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% |
| Hardee County, FL | 91 | 18.9% | 32.3% |
| Charlotte County, FL | 67 | 9.3% | 32.8% |
| Manatee County, FL | 61 | 9.8% | 21.4% |
| 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 DeSoto County the poorest county in Florida?
No, DeSoto County's poverty rate was 21.8% in 2024, 4th 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, DeSoto County ranks 5th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in DeSoto 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 DeSoto 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 DeSoto County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.