In Manatee County, Florida, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in three dollars of the typical household's income
In Manatee County, 32.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Manatee County's score
In Manatee County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 97.1. Jobs come next, at 61.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Manatee 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.
Manatee County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($81,174, 2024) and people below the poverty line (9.8%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 97.1 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 rent28.9% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income32.4% · fiscal year 202798th percentile
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- 61.9 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 202678th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.9% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
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- 47.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.1% · August 202542nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people131.5 · 202552nd percentile
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- 40.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.2% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.0% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.0% · second quarter of 202629th percentile
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- 38.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.8% · 202420th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.7% · 202431st percentile
- People with a disability15.5% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- People without health insurance11.8% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$81,174 · 202418th 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 Manatee 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 Manatee County, 28.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Manatee County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Manatee County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 21.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Manatee County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Manatee County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.1% in 2011 to 8.7% in 2012.
The share of households in Manatee County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
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, Manatee County, Florida.
How Manatee County has changed
Manatee County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 393,934 in 2019 to 458,352 in 2024.
Manatee County's population grew to about five times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 458,352, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 143,625. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Manatee County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Manatee County doubled to 146,007, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 119,842. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Manatee County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.0% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.7% | 2024 9.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,842 | 2024 $81,174 |
The table uses 4.2% 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 Manatee County's history
2003
A flash flood in August 2003 did $1.3 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Housing market collapse, home values fell 24.8%. Wikipedia
2016
A tornado in January 2016 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Lightning in June 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flood in August 2017 did $1.34 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 399,710, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1968
48 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Manatee County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Manatee County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Manatee County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Manatee County ranks 3rd of the five; DeSoto County is highest, at 36.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeSoto County, FL | 93 | 21.8% | 36.9% |
| Hardee County, FL | 91 | 18.9% | 32.3% |
| Hillsborough County, FL | 73 | 11.7% | 17.7% |
| Manatee County, FL | 61 | 9.8% | 21.4% |
| Sarasota County, FL | 49 | 8.6% | 19.2% |
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 Manatee County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Manatee County's poverty rate was 9.8% in 2024, 57th 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, Manatee County ranks 54th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Manatee 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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Bay Area 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 Manatee 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 Manatee County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.