Unemployment in Indian River County, Florida, is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties
In Indian River County, 5.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Indian River County's score
In Indian River County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 81.9. About three in ten renters (28.5%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 94% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 70.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Indian River 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.
Indian River County does better than most counties on two measures: people below the poverty line (9.2%, 2024) and median household income ($81,530, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 81.9 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 rent28.5% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.7% · fiscal year 202768th percentile
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- 70.5 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 working21.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
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- 45.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.0% · August 202534th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people139 · 202555th percentile
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- 39.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.2% · 202416th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.9% · 202432nd percentile
- People with a disability17.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- People without health insurance10.0% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$81,530 · 202418th percentile
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- 38.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.9% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.7% · second quarter of 202632nd 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 Indian River 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 Indian River County, 34.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Indian River County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Indian River County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 16.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Indian River County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Indian River County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.2% in 2012 to 11.1% in 2013.
The share of households in Indian River County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 7.5%
Low on the chart: 5.7% 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, Indian River County, Florida.
How Indian River County has changed
Indian River County's population had its largest rise, from 57,912 in 1979 to 73,792 in 1984.
Indian River County's population grew to about five times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 172,139, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 143,593. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Indian River County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Indian River County nearly doubled to 57,576, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 57,576. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Indian River County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.6% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.4% | 2024 9.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,974 | 2024 $81,530 |
The table uses 4.7% 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 Indian River County's history
2003
Lightning in September 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 159,788, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A tornado in October 2024 did $39 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A tornado in October 2024 did $12 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A tornado in October 2024 did $8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
32 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Indian River County. FEMA
Indian River County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Indian River County score higher than it does. Of the group, Indian River County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Okeechobee County gets the largest, at 34.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osceola County, FL | 88 | 13.0% | 23.7% |
| Okeechobee County, FL | 87 | 17.0% | 34.1% |
| St. Lucie County, FL | 82 | 11.5% | 26.3% |
| Brevard County, FL | 68 | 10.1% | 24.7% |
| Indian River County, FL | 57 | 9.2% | 16.5% |
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 Indian River County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Indian River County's poverty rate was 9.2% in 2024, 59th 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, Indian River County ranks 55th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Indian River 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 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 Indian River 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 Indian River County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.