In Hernando County, Florida, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in three dollars of the typical household's income
In Hernando County, 33.5% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hernando County's score
In Hernando County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 91.2. Jobs come next, at 77.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hernando 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.
Hernando County does better than most counties on two measures: people below the poverty line (10.4%, 2024) and children below the poverty line (13.8%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.2 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent24.1% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income33.5% · fiscal year 202798th percentile
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- 77.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202688th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.7% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
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- 75.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.0% · August 202563rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people258.9 · 202586th percentile
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- 64.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.2% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.5% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.7% · second quarter of 202662nd percentile
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- 50.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.4% · 202425th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.8% · 202432nd percentile
- People with a disability19.4% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- People without health insurance11.2% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,768 · 202443rd 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 Hernando 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 Hernando County, 26.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hernando County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Hernando County had its largest rise, from 24.0% in 1989 to 30.4% in 1994.
In Hernando County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 33.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Hernando County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hernando County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (5.8% in 2009) to 8.5% in 2010.
The share of households in Hernando County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 5.8% 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, Hernando County, Florida.
How Hernando County has changed
Hernando County's population had its largest rise, from 66,667 in 1984 to 95,307 in 1989.
Hernando County's population grew to more than ten times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 218,150, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 174,018. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hernando County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Hernando County more than doubled to 50,575, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 38,744. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hernando County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.4% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.7% | 2024 10.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,843 | 2024 $68,768 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 5.5% 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 Hernando County's history
1843
Officially established February 27, 1843, created from portions of Alachua, Hillsborough and Orange Counties. Wikipedia
1997
A flood in December 1997 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flood in September 2017 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 194,515, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1968
39 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hernando County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hernando County beside its neighbors
Of the three counties that border Hernando County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hernando County ranks 3rd of the four; Citrus County is highest, at 40.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citrus County, FL | 87 | 13.5% | 40.9% |
| Hernando County, FL | 86 | 10.4% | 33.5% |
| Pasco County, FL | 75 | 10.7% | 23.8% |
| Sumter County, FL | 42 | 8.8% | 35.0% |
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 Hernando County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Hernando County's poverty rate was 10.4% in 2024, 52nd 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, Hernando County ranks 24th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hernando 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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Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida (CLSMF)
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 Hernando 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 Hernando County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.