About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Gadsden County, Florida, are not working
In Gadsden County, 37.4% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 99% of U.S. counties.
What drives Gadsden County's score
In Gadsden County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 94.7. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 30.3% of the median household's income (fiscal year 2027), higher than in 97% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 94.2.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Gadsden County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Gadsden County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 94.7 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.3% · fiscal year 202797th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent27.2% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
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- 94.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.3% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a credit card behind10.7% · August 202596th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.5% · Q4 202593rd percentile
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- 93.9 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working37.4% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202690th percentile
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- 87.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line28.9% · 202490th percentile
- People with a disability21.0% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,398 · 202479th percentile
- People below the poverty line20.7% · 202489th percentile
- People without health insurance15.7% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
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- 86.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector41.1% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people209.9 · 202577th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Gadsden County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Gadsden County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Gadsden County in 2024, pay from work was 54 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 16 cents. Benefit checks were 31 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 11 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Gadsden County, benefit checks rose from 11 to 31 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Gadsden County, Florida: 30.7% and 53.5% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 30.7% of all personal income in Gadsden County, Florida (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Gadsden County, 19.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Gadsden County has changed
The number of people living in Gadsden County grew by about 12% between 1969 and 2024, from 39,463 to 44,151. The number of jobs located there grew by about 16% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.1% in 1990 to 4.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 39,463 | 2024 44,151 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 14,091 | 2024 16,317 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 29.7% | 2024 20.7% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $17,056 | 2024 $56,398 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 10.5% | 2024 30.7% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Gadsden County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 46,389. The 2020 Census counted 43,826, 94% of the peak. Census Bureau
1974
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Lightning: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Lightning: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1985
39 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Gadsden County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Gadsden County beside its neighbors
Gadsden County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Florida and Georgia. For the share of income from benefit checks, Gadsden County ranks 4th of the seven; Jackson County is highest, at 39.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gadsden County, FL | 99 | 20.7% | 30.7% |
| Decatur County, GA | 94 | 21.7% | 28.7% |
| Seminole County, GA | 94 | 22.5% | 34.2% |
| Jackson County, FL | 88 | 19.4% | 39.2% |
| Grady County, GA | 87 | 19.5% | 29.6% |
| Leon County, FL | 78 | 21.3% | 17.7% |
| Liberty County, FL | 77 | 20.5% | 32.6% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Gadsden County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Gadsden County's poverty rate was 20.7% in 2024, 6th 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, Gadsden County ranks 1st of 67 in the state.
Gadsden County in photographs
Places in Gadsden County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Quincy, Gadsden County, Florida.
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The sign for Gadsden County, Florida on Georgia State Road 97.
Gadsden County, Florida: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Gadsden County, Florida?
20.7% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 28.9%.
Is Gadsden County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Gadsden County's poverty rate was 20.7% in 2024, 6th 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, Gadsden County ranks 1st of 67 in the state.
What is the population of Gadsden County, Florida?
About 44,151 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 43,826, 94% of the county's peak of 46,389 in 2010.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Gadsden County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,311 approved agencies 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 Gadsden County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Gadsden County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.