About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Gulf County, Florida, are not working
In Gulf County, 38.7% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Gulf County's score
In Gulf County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 84.8. Housing costs come next, at 80.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Gulf 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.
Gulf County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (76.5, 2025) and people with a car or retail loan behind (3.7%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202674th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working38.7% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 80.0 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 rent20.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.0% · fiscal year 2027top 5%
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- 67.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.0% · 202470th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.9% · 202471st percentile
- People with a disability20.2% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- People without health insurance8.3% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,384 · 202459th percentile
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- 46.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.7% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.4% · second quarter of 202657th percentile
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- 42.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.7% · August 202562nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people76.5 · 202523rd 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 Gulf 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 Gulf County, 23.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Gulf County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Gulf County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 30.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Gulf County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Gulf County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2011 low, from 9.6% in 2011 to 15.3% in 2012.
The share of households in Gulf County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 12.0%
Low on the chart: 9.6% 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, Gulf County, Florida.
How Gulf County has changed
Gulf County's population had its largest rise, from 12,706 in 1999 to 15,455 in 2004.
Gulf County's population rose by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15,876
High on the chart: 16,291 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Gulf County, Florida.
The number of jobs located in Gulf County had its largest rise in the last span, from 3,846 in 2020 to 4,597 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Gulf County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2000, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 3,224 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Gulf County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.7% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.5% | 2024 16.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,414 | 2024 $63,384 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Gulf County's history
2002
A storm surge/tide in September 2002 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A rip current in May 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 15,863. The 2020 Census counted 14,192, 89% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
Lightning in July 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Lightning in June 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
46 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Gulf County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Gulf County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Gulf County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Gulf County ranks 4th of the five; Calhoun County is highest, at 37.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calhoun County, FL | 89 | 19.2% | 37.9% |
| Franklin County, FL | 76 | 17.9% | 31.7% |
| Liberty County, FL | 76 | 20.5% | 32.6% |
| Gulf County, FL | 74 | 16.0% | 30.7% |
| Bay County, FL | 64 | 11.6% | 24.4% |
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 Gulf County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Gulf County's poverty rate was 16.0% in 2024, 24th 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, Gulf County ranks 38th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Gulf 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.
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 Gulf County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.