About one in five people in Leon County, Florida, lives below the poverty line
In Leon County, 21.3% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Leon County's score
In Leon County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 93.6. About three in ten renters (31.4%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 98% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 63.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Leon 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.
Leon County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (13.3%, 2020 to 2024) and adults 25 to 54 not working (17.0%, 2020 to 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 rent31.4% · 2020 to 202498th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.4% · fiscal year 202788th percentile
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- 63.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.1% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.4% · second quarter of 202654th percentile
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- 59.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.3% · August 202565th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people135.7 · 202554th percentile
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- 58.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.3% · 202490th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.8% · 202475th percentile
- People with a disability13.3% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- People without health insurance7.4% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,847 · 202455th percentile
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- 52.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202677th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.0% · 2020 to 202427th 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 Leon 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 Leon County, 14.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Leon County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Leon County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 17.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Leon County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Leon County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.4% in 2011 to 11.2% in 2012.
The share of households in Leon County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 11.7%
Low on the chart: 8.0% 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, Leon County, Florida.
How Leon County has changed
Leon County's population had its largest rise, from 99,635 in 1969 to 131,594 in 1974.
Leon County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 300,488, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 291,060. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Leon County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Leon County rose by about half to 165,372, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 165,372. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Leon County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.3% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.7% | 2024 21.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,391 | 2024 $64,847 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.9% 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 Leon County's history
2001
A flash flood in June 2001 did $20 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A thunderstorm in April 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 292,198, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A tornado in May 2024 did $92.1 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A tornado in May 2024 did $92 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
35 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Leon County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Leon County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Leon County, in Florida and Georgia, three score higher. Of the group, Leon County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Liberty County gets the largest, at 32.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gadsden County, FL | 99 | 20.7% | 30.7% |
| Grady County, GA | 87 | 19.5% | 29.6% |
| Thomas County, GA | 84 | 17.3% | 27.1% |
| Leon County, FL | 76 | 21.3% | 17.7% |
| Liberty County, FL | 76 | 20.5% | 32.6% |
| 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 Leon County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Leon County's poverty rate was 21.3% in 2024, 5th 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, Leon County ranks 33rd of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Leon 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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Tallahassee Urban League, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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.
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 Leon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.