In Monroe County, Florida, benefit checks make up only 10 cents of every dollar of income
In Monroe County, 9.9% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Monroe County's score
In Monroe County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 96.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 19.1. About one in seven adults aged 25 to 54 (14.9%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 84% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Even so, Monroe County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (32.0%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (28.6%, fiscal year 2027).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Monroe County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 96.6 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.6% · fiscal year 202794th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent32.0% · 2020 to 202498th percentile
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- 53.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.9% · August 202560th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people117.8 · 202545th percentile
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- 41.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.2% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score22.6% · Q4 202546th percentile
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- 34.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line15.0% · 202438th percentile
- People with a disability11.5% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$94,752 · 20247th percentile
- People below the poverty line10.9% · 202429th percentile
- People without health insurance12.8% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
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- 19.1 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.9% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.3% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202622nd percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Monroe County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Monroe County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Monroe County in 2024, pay from work was 33 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 58 cents. Benefit checks were 10 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
That split has held roughly steady since 1969, when benefit checks were 6 cents of every dollar.
Income from investments and rentals is unusually large here: 58 cents of the dollar, against 21 nationally.
In Monroe County, pay from work still brings in most of the money
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Monroe County, Florida: 9.9% and 32.6% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 9.9% of all personal income in Monroe County, Florida (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Monroe County, 24.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Monroe County has changed
The number of people living in Monroe County grew by about 54% between 1969 and 2024, from 52,471 to 80,908. The number of jobs located there grew by about 55% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment rose from 2.7% in 1990 to 2.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 52,471 | 2024 80,908 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 30,394 | 2024 47,058 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.7% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.4% | 2024 10.9% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $25,610 | 2024 $94,752 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 5.6% | 2024 9.9% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Monroe County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 82,874, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1823
Created in 1823. Wikipedia
1876
Salt production industry destroyed by hurricane. Wikipedia
1886
Great Fire destroyed cigar factories, economic decline. Wikipedia
1998
Tornado: $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Tornado: $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
45 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Monroe County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Monroe County beside its neighbors
All two counties that border Monroe County score higher than it does. Of the group, Monroe County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Miami-Dade County gets the largest, at 17.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Dade County, FL | 72 | 14.2% | 17.8% |
| Collier County, FL | 48 | 10.4% | 10.5% |
| Monroe County, FL | 47 | 10.9% | 9.9% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Monroe County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Monroe County's poverty rate was 10.9% in 2024, 46th 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, Monroe County ranks 62nd of 67 in the state.
Monroe County in photographs
Places in Monroe County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Courthouse, Monroe County, Key West, FL.
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On June 12, 2022, a Monroe County deputy observed a speeding vehicle in Key Largo, FL.
Photo: Monroe County SO via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Monroe County, Florida: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Monroe County, Florida?
10.9% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in nine people. Among children it was 15.0%.
Is Monroe County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Monroe County's poverty rate was 10.9% in 2024, 46th 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, Monroe County ranks 62nd of 67 in the state.
What is the population of Monroe County, Florida?
About 80,908 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 82,874, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Monroe County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Monroe County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Monroe County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.