In Jefferson County, Florida, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Jefferson County, 26.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jefferson County's score
In Jefferson County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 80.7. Income and the safety net comes next, at 69.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jefferson 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.
Jefferson County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (90.6, 2025) and adults 25 to 54 not working (18.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.7 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 rent21.9% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.4% · fiscal year 202789th percentile
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- 69.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.9% · 202470th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.1% · 202472nd percentile
- People with a disability21.2% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance9.7% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,680 · 202455th percentile
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- 67.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.5% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.0% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.2% · second quarter of 202667th percentile
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- 53.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.9% · August 202576th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people90.6 · 202531st percentile
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- 51.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202665th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.5% · 2020 to 202436th 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, 24.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jefferson County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jefferson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 26.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Jefferson County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.0% in 2009 to 13.8% in 2010.
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled from 2009 to 2023, reaching 21.4%, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 21.4% 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, Jefferson County, Florida.
How Jefferson County has changed
Jefferson County's population doubled to 15,921, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 15,921. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jefferson County, Florida.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson County fell most sharply after its 2005 high, from 3,139 in 2005 to 2,529 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2015, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 2,466 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jefferson County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.7% | 2024 15.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,433 | 2024 $64,680 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Jefferson County's history
1827
Jefferson County was created on January 20, 1827. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 17,210. The 2020 Census counted 14,510, 84% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
39 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jefferson County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jefferson County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Jefferson County, in Florida and Georgia, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jefferson County ranks 5th of the seven; Taylor County is highest, at 40.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brooks County, GA | 98 | 19.4% | 34.3% |
| Madison County, FL | 92 | 19.6% | 36.6% |
| Taylor County, FL | 87 | 19.9% | 40.3% |
| Thomas County, GA | 84 | 17.3% | 27.1% |
| Leon County, FL | 76 | 21.3% | 17.7% |
| Jefferson County, FL | 74 | 15.9% | 26.5% |
| Wakulla County, FL | 43 | 11.8% | 21.3% |
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 Jefferson County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Jefferson County's poverty rate was 15.9% in 2024, 26th 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, Jefferson County ranks 37th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.