Unemployment in Levy County, Florida, is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties
In Levy County, 5.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Levy County's score
In Levy County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 82.5. Jobs come next, at 77.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Levy 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.
Levy 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.
- 82.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.6% · 202478th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.1% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability21.7% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- People without health insurance13.1% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,617 · 202483rd percentile
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- 77.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202687th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.9% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
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- 74.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.9% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.4% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.7% · second quarter of 202673rd percentile
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- 64.7 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 rent22.6% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.0% · fiscal year 202753rd percentile
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- 64.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.6% · August 202572nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people139.6 · 202555th 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 Levy 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 Levy County, 25.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Levy County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Levy County had its largest rise, from 25.6% in 2004 to 32.1% in 2009.
In Levy County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 32.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Levy County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Levy County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 18.9% in 2012 to 21.4% in 2013.
The share of households in Levy County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 14.1% 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, Levy County, Florida.
How Levy County has changed
Levy County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size, reaching 47,765, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 47,765. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Levy County, Florida.
The number of jobs located in Levy County made its largest gain on the way to its 2005 high, from 7,625 in 2000 to 9,203 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Levy County nearly doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 9,070
High on the chart: 9,203 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Levy County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.6% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.4% | 2024 17.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,162 | 2024 $54,617 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 5.5% 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 Levy County's history
1845
Levy County was created in 1845, after the Seminole Wars, and became Florida's 27th county. Wikipedia
1993
A tornado in March 1993 did $50 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1993
A tornado in October 1993 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Lightning in September 2018 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 42,915, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A thunderstorm in April 2021 did $2,500,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
41 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Levy County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Levy County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Levy County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Levy County ranks 4th of the six; Dixie County is highest, at 42.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dixie County, FL | 91 | 22.1% | 42.3% |
| Marion County, FL | 89 | 14.3% | 34.3% |
| Citrus County, FL | 87 | 13.5% | 40.9% |
| Levy County, FL | 87 | 17.6% | 32.5% |
| Gilchrist County, FL | 75 | 14.1% | 30.6% |
| Alachua County, FL | 68 | 22.9% | 20.1% |
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 Levy County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Levy County's poverty rate was 17.6% in 2024, 21st 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, Levy County ranks 18th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Levy 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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Three Rivers Legal Services
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 Levy County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.