In Duval County, Florida, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Duval County, 27.6% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Duval County's score
In Duval County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 91.1. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 80.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Duval 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.
Duval County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (13.7%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($73,638, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.1 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 rent26.2% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.6% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
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- 80.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.1% · August 202582nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people218.1 · 202579th percentile
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- 80.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.2% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.2% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.5% · second quarter of 202670th percentile
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- 58.5 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 working19.0% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
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- 43.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.2% · 202441st percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.5% · 202441st percentile
- People with a disability13.7% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
- People without health insurance11.0% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,638 · 202431st 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 Duval 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 Duval County, 15.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Duval County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Duval County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 20.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Duval County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Duval County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.6% in 2011 to 12.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Duval County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen to 14.3%
Low on the chart: 7.3% 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, Duval County, Florida.
How Duval County has changed
Duval County's population doubled to 1,055,159, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 987,572. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Duval County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Duval County nearly doubled to 561,407, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 561,407. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Duval County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.4% | 2024 12.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,139 | 2024 $73,638 |
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 Duval County's history
1822
Duval County was created in 1822 from St. Johns County. Wikipedia
1996
A rip current in July 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A tornado in June 2001 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
Lightning in July 2007 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A thunderstorm in August 2008 did $12 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 995,567, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1968
39 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Duval County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Duval County beside its neighbors
Duval County scores higher than all four counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Duval County ranks 3rd of the five; Baker County is highest, at 26.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duval County, FL | 84 | 12.2% | 20.2% |
| Clay County, FL | 62 | 9.1% | 23.8% |
| Baker County, FL | 61 | 13.0% | 26.8% |
| Nassau County, FL | 48 | 8.7% | 18.5% |
| 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 Duval County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Duval County's poverty rate was 12.2% in 2024, 38th 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, Duval County ranks 25th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Duval 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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Credit.org - Jacksonville, FL Branch
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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NSC (NACA Counseling Subsidiary) - Jacksonville, FL
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Duval County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.