Jackson County, Florida

County Distress Index: Serious · 73.0 | 48,622 people · 7th most distressed in Florida
American Default Research

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Jackson County, FL shows significant household financial distress with a score of 73.0 — 104th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Florida, it ranks 7th of 67 counties. Among its 9 neighboring counties, 7 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Jackson County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 88.8 — worse than roughly 89% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 88.8
Poverty Rate 88
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 84
Debt & Delinquency 84.4
Debt in Collections 95
Medical Debt 100
Student Loan Delinquency 96
Auto Loan Delinquency 84
Credit Card Delinquency 80
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 52
Community Vulnerability 70.8
Uninsured Rate 63
Disability Rate 78
Employment & Wages 60.6
Unemployment Rate 83
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 66
Business Formation Rate 32
Housing Cost Burden 60.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 70
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 70
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 32
Homeownership Rate 50
Rent-to-Income Ratio 81

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Jackson County compares to its 9 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Jackson County
Jackson County, FL 73.0 Serious —
Gadsden County, FL 80.3 Crisis +7.3
Calhoun County, FL 74.9 Serious +1.9
Liberty County, FL 70.2 Serious -2.7
Seminole County, GA 66.8 Serious -6.1
Holmes County, FL 66.4 Serious -6.6
Washington County, FL 66.2 Serious -6.8
Geneva County, AL 64.9 Elevated -8.0
Bay County, FL 63.2 Elevated -9.8
Houston County, AL 53.4 Elevated -19.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Jackson County
McCreary County, KY 72.9 Serious -0.1
Concordia Parish, LA 72.8 Serious -0.1
Dillon County, SC 72.8 Serious -0.2
Lee County, VA 73.2 Serious +0.2
Martinsville city, VA 72.8 Serious -0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Jackson County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Jackson County

Find an Attorney

The Florida Bar — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

The Florida Bar — Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-342-8011

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Jackson County residents at no cost.

Florida Rural Legal Services (FRLS) 1-239-334-4554
Legal Services of Greater Miami (LSGMI) 1-305-576-0080
Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida 1-954-736-2400
Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida (CLSMF) 1-800-405-1417
Bay Area Legal Services 1-800-625-2257
Legal Services of North Florida 1-850-385-9007
Three Rivers Legal Services 1-866-256-8091

Self-Help Resources

The Florida Bar — Foreclosure Crisis Help for Consumers Official Florida Bar resource page for homeowners facing foreclosure, including information on finding an attorney, legal aid referrals, and understanding the foreclosure process.
Florida Courts — Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Cases Florida Supreme Court page with information on residential mortgage foreclosure cases, including links to administrative orders, mediation resources, and the Managed Mediation program.
Florida AG — Resources Available to Distressed Homeowners Florida Attorney General's office page with resources for distressed homeowners, including information on mortgage fraud, foreclosure rescue scams, and how to file complaints.
Florida LawHelp Statewide legal aid directory connecting Floridians with free legal information and local legal aid providers for foreclosure prevention and other civil legal needs.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in Florida →

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Jackson County, Florida?

    Jackson County has a County Distress Index score of 73.0 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 104th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 7th in Florida out of 67 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Jackson County?

    The primary driver of distress in Jackson County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 88.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Jackson County compare to neighboring counties?

    Jackson County (73.0) can be compared to its 9 neighboring counties: Gadsden County, FL (80.3); Calhoun County, FL (74.9); Liberty County, FL (70.2).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Jackson County?

    Jackson County, Florida has a population of approximately 48,622 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.