About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Madison County, Florida, is not working
In Madison County, 32.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 92% of U.S. counties.
What drives Madison County's score
In Madison County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 91.8. Income and the safety net comes next, at 82.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Madison 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.
Madison County does better than most counties on one measure: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (113.4, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202689th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.8% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
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- 82.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.6% · 202486th percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.7% · 202483rd percentile
- People with a disability18.8% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- People without health insurance12.3% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$51,714 · 202488th percentile
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- 77.4 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 behind12.2% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score48.9% · second quarter of 202676th percentile
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- 69.3 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 rent21.5% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.7% · fiscal year 202768th percentile
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- 65.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector35.8% · August 202587th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people113.4 · 202542nd 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 Madison 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 Madison County, 22.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Madison County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Madison County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 29% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Madison County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (13.7% in 2009) to 16.8% in 2010.
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 17.2%
Low on the chart: 13.7% 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, Madison County, Florida.
How Madison County has changed
Madison County's population had its largest rise, from 16,444 in 1989 to 17,569 in 1994.
Madison County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18,364
High on the chart: 19,329 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Madison County, Florida.
The number of jobs located in Madison County fell most sharply on the way to its 2010 low, from 5,153 in 2005 to 4,281 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Madison County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 5,782 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Madison County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.0% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 26.1% | 2024 19.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,213 | 2024 $51,714 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 5.6% 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 Madison County's history
1988
A tornado in April 1988 did $25 million in property damage and killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1988
A tornado in November 1988 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1994
A thunderstorm in February 1994 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in April 2009 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 19,224. The 2020 Census counted 17,968, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
32 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Madison County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Madison County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Madison County, in Florida and Georgia, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Madison County ranks 4th of the eight; Hamilton County is highest, at 42.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton County, FL | 98 | 25.3% | 42.3% |
| Brooks County, GA | 98 | 19.4% | 34.3% |
| Madison County, FL | 92 | 19.6% | 36.6% |
| Lafayette County, FL | 90 | 19.6% | 37.4% |
| Lowndes County, GA | 90 | 18.1% | 26.3% |
| Taylor County, FL | 87 | 19.9% | 40.3% |
| Suwannee County, FL | 86 | 18.8% | 35.2% |
| Jefferson County, FL | 74 | 15.9% | 26.5% |
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 Madison County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Madison County's poverty rate was 19.6% in 2024, 10th 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, Madison County ranks 7th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Madison 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.
Download the CSV for Madison 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 Madison County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.