In Osceola County, Florida, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Osceola County, 30.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Osceola County's score
In Osceola County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 98.3. About one in three renters (33.4%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 99% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 82.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Osceola 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.
Osceola County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($76,172, 2024) and people with a disability (13.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 98.4 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 rent33.4% · 2020 to 202499th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.9% · fiscal year 202797th percentile
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- 82.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.7% · August 202575th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people277.3 · 202588th percentile
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- 82.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.6% · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.8% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.5% · second quarter of 202671st percentile
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- 60.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202675th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.1% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
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- 46.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.0% · 202448th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.5% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability13.6% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- People without health insurance10.6% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,172 · 202427th 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 Osceola 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 Osceola County, 13.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Osceola County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Osceola County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 23.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Osceola County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Osceola County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.9% in 2011 to 17.0% in 2012.
The share of households in Osceola County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 9.2% 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, Osceola County, Florida.
How Osceola County has changed
Osceola County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 379,581 in 2019 to 468,058 in 2024.
Osceola County's population grew to more than ten times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 468,058, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 46,445. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Osceola County, Florida.
The number of jobs located in Osceola County had its largest rise in the last span, from 91,220 in 2020 to 117,799 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Osceola County tripled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 117,799, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 70,137. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Osceola County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.4% | 2024 13.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,798 | 2024 $76,172 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Osceola County's history
1887
Created on May 12, 1887 from both Orange and Brevard Counties. Wikipedia
1893
Disston closed his Kissimmee land operation after Panic of 1893. Wikipedia
1894
Consecutive freezes in 1894 and 1895 wiped out the citrus industry. Wikipedia
1966
A tornado in April 1966 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1983
A tornado in March 1983 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A tornado in February 1998 did $50 million in property damage and killed 25 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 388,656, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2022
A flood in September 2022 did $245 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
36 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Osceola County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Osceola County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Osceola County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Osceola County ranks 4th of the six; Okeechobee County is highest, at 34.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, FL | 91 | 13.4% | 28.2% |
| Osceola County, FL | 88 | 13.0% | 23.7% |
| Okeechobee County, FL | 87 | 17.0% | 34.1% |
| Orange County, FL | 77 | 12.4% | 17.4% |
| Brevard County, FL | 68 | 10.1% | 24.7% |
| Indian River County, FL | 57 | 9.2% | 16.5% |
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 Osceola County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Osceola County's poverty rate was 13.0% in 2024, 35th 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, Osceola County ranks 14th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Osceola 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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Community Legal Services of Mid-florida, Inc. - Kissimmee Office
HUD-approved housing counselor
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University of Florida/florida Cooperative Extension - Osceola County Cooperative Extension Service
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 Osceola 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 Osceola County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.