In Highlands County, Florida, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2020
In 2024, 41 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives Highlands County's score
In Highlands County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 90.1. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 26.9% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), higher than in 90% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 87.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Highlands 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.
Highlands County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.1 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 rent26.1% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.9% · fiscal year 202790th percentile
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- 87.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202695th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.1% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
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- 79.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.5% · 202467th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.9% · 202471st percentile
- People with a disability22.9% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- People without health insurance13.8% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,218 · 202480th percentile
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- 71.8 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 behind6.2% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.2% · second quarter of 202667th percentile
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- 70.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.8% · August 202563rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people212.8 · 202577th 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 Highlands 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 Highlands County, 36.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Highlands County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Highlands County had its largest rise, from 21.9% in 1989 to 28.6% in 1994.
In Highlands County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Florida
In Highlands County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 41.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Highlands County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 15.7%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2011, reaching 11.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Highlands County, Florida.
How Highlands County has changed
Highlands County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size, reaching 109,778, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 78,724. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Highlands County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Highlands County rose 41% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2000 and 2005
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 28,078. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Highlands County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.1% | 2025 5.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.0% | 2024 15.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,854 | 2024 $56,218 |
The table uses 5.6% for 2025; the score uses 6.6% 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 Highlands County's history
1983
A tornado in February 1983 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Lightning in June 2009 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A tornado in June 2012 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 101,235, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2025
Lightning in September 2025 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
34 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Highlands County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Highlands County beside its neighbors
Highlands County scores higher than all six counties that border it. Of the group, Highlands County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (41.2%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands County, FL | 94 | 15.5% | 41.2% |
| DeSoto County, FL | 93 | 21.8% | 36.9% |
| Polk County, FL | 91 | 13.4% | 28.2% |
| Hardee County, FL | 91 | 18.9% | 32.3% |
| 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 Highlands County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Highlands County's poverty rate was 15.5% in 2024, 27th 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, Highlands County ranks 4th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Highlands 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 Non-profit Housing Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Florida Rural Legal Services (FRLS)
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 Highlands 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 Highlands County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.