Unemployment in Franklin County, Florida, is higher than in 84% of U.S. counties
In Franklin County, 5.2% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 84% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Franklin County's score
In Franklin County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 83.9. About one in six people (16.7%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 92% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 78.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Franklin 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.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 83.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.9% · 202479th percentile
- Children below the poverty line29.3% · 202490th percentile
- People with a disability20.5% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- People without health insurance16.7% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,831 · 202473rd percentile
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- 78.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202685th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
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- 76.7 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 rent27.2% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.8% · fiscal year 202761st percentile
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- 53.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.2% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.6% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.0% · second quarter of 202659th percentile
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- 36.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.9% · August 202567th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people39.7 · 20255th 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County, 26.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Franklin County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Franklin County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 31.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Franklin County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Franklin County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 20.2% in 2022 to 17.2% in 2023.
The share of households in Franklin County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2022 and has since fallen to 14.3%
Low on the chart: 13.4% 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, Franklin County, Florida.
How Franklin County has changed
Franklin County's population doubled to 12,979, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2004 to 2009, reaching 11,515. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Franklin County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Franklin County nearly doubled to 3,504, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 2,873. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Franklin County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 23.7% | 2024 17.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,260 | 2024 $58,831 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Franklin County's history
1951
A tornado in May 1951 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
A tornado in June 1989 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A tornado in October 2006 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 12,451, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
46 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Franklin County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Franklin County beside its neighbors
Franklin County scores higher than all three counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Franklin County ranks 2nd of the four; Liberty County is highest, at 32.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, FL | 76 | 17.9% | 31.7% |
| Liberty County, FL | 76 | 20.5% | 32.6% |
| Gulf County, FL | 74 | 16.0% | 30.7% |
| Wakulla County, FL | 43 | 11.8% | 21.3% |
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 Franklin County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Franklin County's poverty rate was 17.9% in 2024, 20th 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, Franklin County ranks 32nd of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Franklin 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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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 Franklin 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 Franklin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.