About two in five people with a credit file in Jackson County, Florida, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Jackson County, 40.6% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jackson County's score
In Jackson County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 81.9. People with a car or retail loan behind: 8.1%, August 2025, higher than in 83% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 79.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jackson 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.
Jackson 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.
- 81.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.5% · August 202579th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.1% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.0% · second quarter of 202682nd percentile
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- 79.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202686th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.9% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
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- 74.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.4% · 202485th percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.3% · 202482nd percentile
- People with a disability17.8% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- People without health insurance8.6% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,272 · 202482nd percentile
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- 73.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector40.6% · August 202594th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people129.6 · 202551st percentile
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- 56.0 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 rent19.7% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.9% · fiscal year 202752nd 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County, 20.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jackson County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Jackson County had its largest rise, from 25.8% in 2004 to 32.0% in 2009.
In Jackson County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 39.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a fifth more than benefit checks
In Jackson County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 39.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jackson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.6% in 2012 to 17.5% in 2013.
The share of households in Jackson County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2023, reaching 20.1%, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 20.1% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jackson County, Florida.
How Jackson County has changed
Jackson County's population had its largest rise, from 34,474 in 1969 to 38,439 in 1974.
Jackson County's population rose 45% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 50,064 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jackson County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Jackson County rose 8% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 2000 and 2005
High on the chart: 14,710 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jackson County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.0% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.3% | 2024 19.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,014 | 2024 $55,272 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 5.3% 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 Jackson County's history
2004
A tornado in September 2004 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 49,746. The 2020 Census counted 47,319, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
Dozier School for Boys operated 1900-2011, unmarked graves found after closure. Wikipedia
2014
A flood in April 2014 did $6.69 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
A flash flood in September 2020 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A tornado in January 2024 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1994
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jackson County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jackson County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Jackson County, in Florida, Georgia and Alabama, three score higher. Of the group, Jackson County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (39.2%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gadsden County, FL | 99 | 20.7% | 30.7% |
| Seminole County, GA | 94 | 22.5% | 34.2% |
| Calhoun County, FL | 89 | 19.2% | 37.9% |
| Jackson County, FL | 88 | 19.4% | 39.2% |
| Geneva County, AL | 86 | 17.1% | 34.7% |
| Holmes County, FL | 83 | 18.7% | 37.7% |
| Houston County, AL | 77 | 17.0% | 27.5% |
| Washington County, FL | 72 | 14.9% | 35.6% |
| Bay County, FL | 64 | 11.6% | 24.4% |
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 Jackson County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Jackson County's poverty rate was 19.4% in 2024, 12th 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, Jackson County ranks 16th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jackson 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.