Unemployment in Hamilton County, Florida, is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties
In Hamilton County, 6.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hamilton County's score
In Hamilton County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 93.8. Late payments on loans come next, at 93.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hamilton 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.
Hamilton County does better than most counties on one measure: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (111.4, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.9% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
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- 93.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind12.5% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind12.9% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score54.9% · second quarter of 202689th percentile
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- 88.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line25.3% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line32.7% · 202494th percentile
- People with a disability18.9% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- People without health insurance14.5% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,859 · 202493rd percentile
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- 84.6 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 rent28.6% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.4% · fiscal year 202774th percentile
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- 66.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector38.2% · August 202591st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people111.4 · 202541st 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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton County, 19.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hamilton County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Hamilton County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 42.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Hamilton County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 42.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hamilton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 23.0% in 2013 to 27.2% in 2014.
The share of households in Hamilton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 28.6%
Low on the chart: 16.1% 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, Hamilton County, Florida.
How Hamilton County has changed
Hamilton County's population had its largest rise, from 9,371 in 1984 to 10,752 in 1989.
Hamilton County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14,334
High on the chart: 14,930 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hamilton County, Florida.
The number of jobs located in Hamilton County had its largest drop, from 4,224 in 1995 to 3,744 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Hamilton County fell by about a third from 1990 to 2020, reaching 2,914, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 4,538 in 1990. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hamilton County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.1% | 2025 5.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.6% | 2024 25.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,439 | 2024 $48,859 |
The table uses 5.8% for 2025; the score uses 6.8% 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 Hamilton County's history
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 14,799. The 2020 Census counted 14,004, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
2018
Lightning in April 2018 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
34 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hamilton County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hamilton County beside its neighbors
Hamilton County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Florida and Georgia. Of the group, Hamilton County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (42.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton County, FL | 98 | 25.3% | 42.3% |
| Brooks County, GA | 98 | 19.4% | 34.3% |
| Madison County, FL | 92 | 19.6% | 36.6% |
| Lowndes County, GA | 90 | 18.1% | 26.3% |
| Columbia County, FL | 87 | 16.0% | 32.8% |
| Suwannee County, FL | 86 | 18.8% | 35.2% |
| Echols County, GA | 64 | 22.2% | 24.1% |
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 Hamilton County the poorest county in Florida?
Yes, Hamilton County's poverty rate was 25.3% in 2024, the highest of 67 counties in Florida (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Hamilton County ranks 2nd of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.