In Escambia County, Florida, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Escambia County, 27.8% 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 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Escambia County's score
In Escambia County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 86.8. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 76.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Escambia 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.
Escambia County does better than most counties on one measure: median household income ($66,861, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 86.8 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 rent23.7% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.8% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
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- 76.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.0% · August 202576th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people209.5 · 202577th percentile
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- 70.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.1% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.5% · second quarter of 202665th percentile
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- 69.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202681st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.0% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
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- 65.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.5% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.7% · 202474th percentile
- People with a disability17.4% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- People without health insurance11.7% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,861 · 202449th 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 Escambia 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 Escambia County, 17.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Escambia County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Escambia County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 25.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Escambia County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 25.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Escambia County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15.0%, with most of the change between 2011 and 2012
High on the chart: 15.5% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Escambia County, Florida.
How Escambia County has changed
Escambia County's population nearly doubled to 331,275, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 221,577. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Escambia County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Escambia County rose 37% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 146,971. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Escambia County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.4% | 2024 14.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,493 | 2024 $66,861 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 5.1% 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 Escambia County's history
1821
Organized as a county on July 21, 1821. Wikipedia
2000
A rip current in June 2000 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A rip current in June 2001 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A flash flood in April 2014 did $150 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A tornado in February 2016 did $22 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 321,905, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1970
39 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Escambia County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Escambia County beside its neighbors
Of the three counties that border Escambia County, in Florida and Alabama, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Escambia County ranks 2nd of the four; Escambia County is highest, at 34.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Escambia County, AL | 89 | 19.7% | 34.1% |
| Escambia County, FL | 88 | 14.5% | 25.9% |
| Santa Rosa County, FL | 44 | 10.3% | 21.5% |
| Baldwin County, AL | 43 | 10.5% | 22.3% |
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 Escambia County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Escambia County's poverty rate was 14.5% in 2024, 29th 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, Escambia County ranks 15th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Escambia 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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Pensacola Habitat for Humanity
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Services of North 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 Escambia 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 Escambia County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.