In Orange County, Florida, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Orange County, 28.8% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Orange County's score
In Orange County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 94.3. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 72.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Orange 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.
Orange County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (11.1%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($81,645, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.3 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 rent27.9% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.8% · fiscal year 202794th percentile
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- 72.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.9% · August 202570th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people198.7 · 202574th percentile
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- 71.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.7% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.3% · August 202576th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.4% · second quarter of 202657th percentile
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- 51.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202666th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
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- 38.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.4% · 202443rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.3% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability11.1% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance12.0% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$81,645 · 202417th 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 Orange 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 Orange County, 13.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Orange County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Orange County had its largest rise, from 13.3% in 2004 to 17.3% in 2009.
In Orange County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 17.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Orange County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Orange County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.2% in 2011 to 11.1% in 2012.
The share of households in Orange County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 13.7%
Low on the chart: 6.8% 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, Orange County, Florida.
How Orange County has changed
Orange County's population had its largest rise, from 1,268,465 in 2014 to 1,420,258 in 2019.
Orange County's population grew to about five times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 1,533,646, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 462,264. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Orange County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Orange County more than doubled to 954,330, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 954,330. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Orange County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.6% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.8% | 2024 12.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,647 | 2024 $81,645 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Orange County's history
1824
December 29, 1824 (renamed January 30, 1845). Wikipedia
1998
A tornado in February 1998 did $15 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
Lightning in August 1998 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Heavy rain in July 2001 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 1,429,908, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2022
A flood in September 2022 did $206 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
36 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Orange County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Orange County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Orange County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Orange County ranks 4th of the five; Lake County is highest, at 27.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osceola County, FL | 88 | 13.0% | 23.7% |
| Orange County, FL | 77 | 12.4% | 17.4% |
| Lake County, FL | 72 | 9.0% | 27.3% |
| Brevard County, FL | 68 | 10.1% | 24.7% |
| Seminole County, FL | 57 | 9.0% | 17.2% |
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 Orange County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Orange County's poverty rate was 12.4% in 2024, 37th 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, Orange County ranks 31st of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Orange 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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Catholic Charities of Central Florida
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Community Legal Services of Mid-florida, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Consumer Debt Counselors, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida (CLSMF)
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 Orange 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 Orange County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.