In Lee County, Florida, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Lee 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 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lee County's score
In Lee County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 93.2. About three in ten renters (30.3%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 97% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 64.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lee 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.
Lee County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($83,479, 2024) and people with a disability (13.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.2 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 rent30.3% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.4% · fiscal year 202789th percentile
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- 64.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202683rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.1% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
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- 59.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.6% · August 202544th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people202.3 · 202575th percentile
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- 54.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.6% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.3% · second quarter of 202638th percentile
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- 40.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.4% · 202434th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.6% · 202442nd percentile
- People with a disability13.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- People without health insurance12.9% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$83,479 · 202415th 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 Lee 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 Lee County, 28.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lee County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lee County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 21.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Lee County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lee County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.5% in 2011 to 9.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Lee County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 8.3%
Low on the chart: 4.5% 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, Lee County, Florida.
How Lee County has changed
Lee County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 748,275 in 2019 to 860,959 in 2024.
Lee County's population grew to about nine times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 860,959, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 192,597. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lee County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Lee County more than doubled to 301,860, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 213,535. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lee County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.0% | 2024 11.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,005 | 2024 $83,479 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 5.1% 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 Lee County's history
1960
A tornado in October 1960 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A rip current in March 1997 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Lightning in August 2005 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flood in September 2017 did $500 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 760,822, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
41 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lee County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lee County beside its neighbors
Of the three counties that border Lee County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lee County ranks 3rd of the four; Charlotte County is highest, at 32.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hendry County, FL | 92 | 18.3% | 28.9% |
| Lee County, FL | 71 | 11.4% | 21.3% |
| Charlotte County, FL | 67 | 9.3% | 32.8% |
| Collier County, FL | 47 | 10.4% | 10.5% |
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 Lee County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Lee County's poverty rate was 11.4% in 2024, 45th 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, Lee County ranks 43rd of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lee 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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Affordable Homeownership Foundation Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Lee County Housing Development Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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.
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 Lee County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.