In Lake County, Florida, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Lake County, 30.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lake County's score
In Lake County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 93.6. Jobs come next, at 70.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lake 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.
Lake County does better than most counties on two measures: people below the poverty line (9.0%, 2024) and children below the poverty line (12.3%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.6 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 rent26.0% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.7% · fiscal year 202797th percentile
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- 70.1 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 working22.4% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
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- 66.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.2% · August 202553rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people219.1 · 202579th percentile
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- 49.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.6% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.6% · second quarter of 202644th percentile
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- 35.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.0% · 202415th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.3% · 202424th percentile
- People with a disability15.8% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- People without health insurance9.6% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,542 · 202426th 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 Lake 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 Lake County, 26.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lake County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Lake County had its largest rise, from 21.5% in 2004 to 26.9% in 2009.
In Lake County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 27.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Lake County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lake County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.6% in 2011 to 9.9% in 2012.
The share of households in Lake County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 4.9% 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, Lake County, Florida.
How Lake County has changed
Lake County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 376,484 in 2019 to 444,204 in 2024.
Lake County's population grew to about seven times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 444,204, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 101,504. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lake County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Lake County more than doubled to 118,622, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 118,622. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lake County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.2% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.4% | 2024 9.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,682 | 2024 $76,542 |
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 Lake County's history
1887
Created in 1887 from portions of Sumter and Orange counties. Wikipedia
1989
Citrus groves destroyed by cold wave, land sold to developers. Wikipedia
1993
A tornado in March 1993 did $5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A tornado in February 2007 did $46 million in property damage and killed 13 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A tornado in February 2007 did $52 million in property damage and killed eight people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A thunderstorm in May 2009 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 383,956, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
35 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lake County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lake County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Lake County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lake County ranks 5th of the seven; Sumter County is highest, at 35.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, FL | 91 | 13.4% | 28.2% |
| Marion County, FL | 89 | 14.3% | 34.3% |
| Volusia County, FL | 80 | 10.8% | 28.1% |
| Orange County, FL | 77 | 12.4% | 17.4% |
| Lake County, FL | 72 | 9.0% | 27.3% |
| Seminole County, FL | 57 | 9.0% | 17.2% |
| Sumter County, FL | 42 | 8.8% | 35.0% |
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 Lake County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Lake County's poverty rate was 9.0% in 2024, 61st 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, Lake County ranks 42nd of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lake 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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Community Legal Services of Mid-florida, Inc. - Tavares Office
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida (CLSMF)
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.
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 Lake County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.