Benefit checks make up 38 cents of every dollar of income in Holmes County, Florida
In Holmes County, 37.7% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Holmes County's score
In Holmes County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 82.9. People with a credit card behind: 8.6%, August 2025, higher than in 88% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 78.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Holmes 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.
Holmes County does better than most counties on one measure: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (105.3, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.6% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.4% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.8% · second quarter of 202681st percentile
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- 78.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.7% · 202482nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.4% · 202485th percentile
- People with a disability16.3% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance13.0% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,901 · 202486th percentile
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- 66.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202679th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
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- 60.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.1% · August 202581st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people105.3 · 202538th percentile
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- 59.2 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 rent19.0% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.0% · fiscal year 202763rd 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 Holmes 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 Holmes County, 21.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Holmes County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Holmes County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 37.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Holmes County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 37.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Holmes County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 20.3% in 2019 to 17.1% in 2020.
The share of households in Holmes County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 13.6% 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, Holmes County, Florida.
How Holmes County has changed
Holmes County's population had its largest rise, from 12,648 in 1974 to 15,096 in 1979.
Holmes County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19,876
High on the chart: 20,147 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Holmes County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Holmes County rose 16% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 3,415. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Holmes County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.0% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 25.6% | 2024 18.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,538 | 2024 $52,901 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 5.0% 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 Holmes County's history
1972
A tornado in June 1972 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 19,927. The 2020 Census counted 19,653, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2013
A flood in February 2013 did $1.46 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flood in July 2013 did $8.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
A flash flood in September 2020 did $8.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
38 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Holmes County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Holmes County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Holmes County, in Florida and Alabama, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Holmes County ranks 2nd of the five; Jackson County is highest, at 39.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, FL | 88 | 19.4% | 39.2% |
| Geneva County, AL | 86 | 17.1% | 34.7% |
| Holmes County, FL | 83 | 18.7% | 37.7% |
| Washington County, FL | 72 | 14.9% | 35.6% |
| Walton County, FL | 50 | 10.6% | 13.4% |
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 Holmes County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Holmes County's poverty rate was 18.7% in 2024, 16th 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, Holmes County ranks 26th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Holmes 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.
Download the CSV for Holmes 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 Holmes County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.