In Gilchrist County, Florida, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Gilchrist County, 30.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Gilchrist County's score
In Gilchrist County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 72.2. About one in eight people (12.8%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 82% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 69.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Gilchrist 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.
Gilchrist County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.3%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (112.3, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.1% · 202457th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.3% · 202465th percentile
- People with a disability20.0% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- People without health insurance12.8% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,365 · 202475th percentile
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- 69.4 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 202680th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.0% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
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- 68.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.6% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.9% · second quarter of 202663rd percentile
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- 59.4 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 rent13.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.2% · fiscal year 2027top 5%
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- 55.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.1% · August 202568th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people112.3 · 202542nd 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 Gilchrist 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 Gilchrist County, 20.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Gilchrist County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Gilchrist County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Gilchrist County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Gilchrist County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 15.2% in 2012 to 17.8% in 2013.
The share of households in Gilchrist County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 17.1%
Low on the chart: 9.5% 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, Gilchrist County, Florida.
How Gilchrist County has changed
Gilchrist County's population grew to about six times its 1969 size, reaching 20,233, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 12,006. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Gilchrist County, Florida.
The number of jobs located in Gilchrist County had its largest rise, from 2,423 in 2000 to 2,972 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Gilchrist County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 3,833, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 2,980. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Gilchrist County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.9% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.5% | 2024 14.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,150 | 2024 $58,365 |
The table uses 4.1% 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 Gilchrist County's history
1983
A tornado in April 1983 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 17,864, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
35 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Gilchrist County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Gilchrist County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Gilchrist County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Gilchrist County ranks 6th of the seven; Dixie County is highest, at 42.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dixie County, FL | 91 | 22.1% | 42.3% |
| Lafayette County, FL | 90 | 19.6% | 37.4% |
| Levy County, FL | 87 | 17.6% | 32.5% |
| Columbia County, FL | 87 | 16.0% | 32.8% |
| Suwannee County, FL | 86 | 18.8% | 35.2% |
| Gilchrist County, FL | 75 | 14.1% | 30.6% |
| Alachua County, FL | 68 | 22.9% | 20.1% |
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 Gilchrist County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Gilchrist County's poverty rate was 14.1% in 2024, 32nd 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, Gilchrist County ranks 36th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Gilchrist 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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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.
Download the CSV for Gilchrist 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 Gilchrist County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.