Unemployment in Glades County, Florida, is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties
In Glades County, 5.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Glades County's score
In Glades County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 85.8. Housing costs come next, at 83.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Glades 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.
Glades County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (39.1, 2025) and people with a car or retail loan behind (5.2%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202690th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.9% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
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- 83.3 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 rent28.5% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.0% · fiscal year 202771st percentile
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- 80.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.2% · 202476th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.1% · 202472nd percentile
- People with a disability21.2% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance22.8% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,721 · 202474th percentile
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- 68.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.0% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.3% · second quarter of 202670th percentile
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- 42.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector32.1% · August 202579th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people39.1 · 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 Glades 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 Glades County, 26.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Glades County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Glades County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 31.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Glades County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 31.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Glades County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 18.0% in 2020 to 12.9% in 2021.
The share of households in Glades County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 16.3%
Low on the chart: 5.5% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Glades County, Florida.
How Glades County has changed
Glades County's population more than tripled to 13,132, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 10,384. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Glades County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Glades County more than doubled to 2,232, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 1,958. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Glades County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.7% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.3% | 2024 17.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,259 | 2024 $58,721 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.7% 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 Glades County's history
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 12,884. The 2020 Census counted 12,126, 94% of the peak. Census Bureau
2012
Lightning in June 2012 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A tornado in October 2024 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
34 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Glades County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Glades County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Glades County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Glades County ranks 4th of the five; Highlands County is highest, at 41.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands County, FL | 94 | 15.5% | 41.2% |
| Hendry County, FL | 92 | 18.3% | 28.9% |
| Okeechobee County, FL | 87 | 17.0% | 34.1% |
| Glades County, FL | 86 | 17.2% | 31.0% |
| Charlotte County, FL | 67 | 9.3% | 32.8% |
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 Glades County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Glades County's poverty rate was 17.2% in 2024, 22nd 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, Glades County ranks 22nd of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Glades 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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Florida Rural Legal Services (FRLS)
Legal aid
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Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South 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 Glades 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 Glades County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.