In Hillsborough County, Florida, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Hillsborough County, 27.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hillsborough County's score
In Hillsborough County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 92.2. About three in ten renters (27.8%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 93% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 74.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hillsborough 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.
Hillsborough County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($84,691, 2024) and people with a disability (12.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.2 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 rent27.8% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.2% · fiscal year 202790th percentile
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- 74.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.0% · August 202571st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people209 · 202576th percentile
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- 66.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.1% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.6% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.6% · second quarter of 202654th percentile
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- 52.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202671st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.9% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
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- 35.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.4% · 202435th percentile
- People with a disability12.4% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- People without health insurance11.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,691 · 202414th 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 Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough County, 15.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hillsborough County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Hillsborough County had its largest rise, from 13.1% in 2004 to 17.2% in 2009.
In Hillsborough County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 17.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Hillsborough County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hillsborough County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 8.5% in 2010 to 12.7% in 2012, 2.1 points each year.
The share of households in Hillsborough County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 7.1% 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, Hillsborough County, Florida.
How Hillsborough County has changed
Hillsborough County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 1,445,252 in 2019 to 1,581,426 in 2024.
Hillsborough County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 1,581,426, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 638,450. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hillsborough County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Hillsborough County doubled to 795,729, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 795,729. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hillsborough County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.2% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,575 | 2024 $84,691 |
The table uses 4.0% 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 Hillsborough County's history
1834
Hillsborough County was created on January 25, 1834, from Alachua and Monroe Counties. Wikipedia
1996
A tornado in December 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A flash flood in September 1997 did $5.3 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in June 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A rip current in August 1998 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 1,459,762, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1968
44 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hillsborough County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hillsborough County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Hillsborough County, two score higher. Of the group, Hillsborough County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Polk County gets the largest, at 28.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, FL | 91 | 13.4% | 28.2% |
| Pasco County, FL | 75 | 10.7% | 23.8% |
| Hillsborough County, FL | 73 | 11.7% | 17.7% |
| Pinellas County, FL | 64 | 10.8% | 21.4% |
| Manatee County, FL | 61 | 9.8% | 21.4% |
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 Hillsborough County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Hillsborough County's poverty rate was 11.7% in 2024, 40th 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, Hillsborough County ranks 39th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hillsborough 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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Housing and Education Alliance
HUD-approved housing counselor
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NSC (NACA Counseling Subsidiary) - Tampa, FL
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Operation Hope- Tampa
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Bay Area 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 Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.