In Palm Beach County, Florida, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in three dollars of the typical household's income
In Palm Beach County, 33.2% 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 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Palm Beach County's score
In Palm Beach County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 98.8. Jobs come next, at 56.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Palm Beach 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.
Palm Beach County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($84,857, 2024) and people with a disability (12.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 98.8 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 rent32.1% · 2020 to 202498th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income33.2% · fiscal year 202798th percentile
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- 56.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202670th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.4% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
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- 49.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.5% · August 202540th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people148.8 · 202559th percentile
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- 47.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.0% · second quarter of 202637th percentile
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- 37.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.1% · 202434th percentile
- People with a disability12.3% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- People without health insurance13.2% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,857 · 202414th 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 Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach County, 24.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Palm Beach County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Palm Beach County rose most sharply from its first year (7.9% in 1969) to 11.1% in 1974.
In Palm Beach County, pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks, with little change in benefit checks' share since 1969
In Palm Beach County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 11.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Palm Beach County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.2% in 2011 to 7.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Palm Beach County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 10.0%
High on the chart: 10.4% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Palm Beach County, Florida.
How Palm Beach County has changed
Palm Beach County's population had its largest rise, from 693,847 in 1984 to 842,086 in 1989.
Palm Beach County's population grew to about five times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 1,582,055, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2004 to 2009, reaching 1,307,371. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Palm Beach County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Palm Beach County doubled to 670,798, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 670,798. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Palm Beach County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.6% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,426 | 2024 $84,857 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Palm Beach County's history
1999
A flash flood in October 1999 did $60 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in August 2003 did $80 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A flash flood in January 2014 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 1,492,191, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A tornado in October 2024 did $81.35 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
40 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Palm Beach County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Palm Beach County beside its neighbors
Of the three counties that border Palm Beach County, two score higher. Of the group, Palm Beach County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Hendry County gets the largest, at 28.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hendry County, FL | 92 | 18.3% | 28.9% |
| Broward County, FL | 72 | 11.7% | 16.3% |
| Palm Beach County, FL | 62 | 11.7% | 11.2% |
| Martin County, FL | 45 | 8.6% | 13.6% |
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 Palm Beach County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Palm Beach County's poverty rate was 11.7% in 2024, 40th 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, Palm Beach County ranks 52nd of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Palm Beach 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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Credit Card Mgmt Svcs, Inc Dba Reversemortgagehelper.org and Debthelper.com
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Housing Foundation of America - Lake Worth Florida
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Housing Partnership, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Florida Rural Legal Services (FRLS)
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 Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.