In Pinellas County, Florida, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Pinellas County, 31.3% 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 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pinellas County's score
In Pinellas County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 96.8. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 57.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pinellas 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.
Pinellas County does better than most counties on two measures: people below the poverty line (10.8%, 2024) and adults 25 to 54 not working (17.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 96.8 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 rent29.0% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income31.3% · fiscal year 202797th percentile
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- 57.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.2% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people165.7 · 202565th percentile
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- 50.9 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 behind5.5% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.6% · second quarter of 202644th percentile
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- 46.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202662nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.5% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
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- 42.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.8% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.6% · 202436th percentile
- People with a disability15.6% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- People without health insurance10.4% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,605 · 202431st 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 Pinellas 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 Pinellas County, 26.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pinellas County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pinellas 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 more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Pinellas 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 Pinellas County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.2% in 2011 to 9.8% in 2012.
The share of households in Pinellas County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 8.6%
Low on the chart: 5.6% 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, Pinellas County, Florida.
How Pinellas County has changed
Pinellas County's population doubled to 965,870, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 654,206. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pinellas County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Pinellas County rose by about a quarter to 441,425, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 437,353. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pinellas County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.7% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.3% | 2024 10.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,577 | 2024 $73,605 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Pinellas County's history
1966
A tornado in April 1966 did $25 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1978
A tornado in May 1978 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
A tornado in October 1992 did $25 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 959,107, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A tornado in December 2020 did $16 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
42 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pinellas County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pinellas County beside its neighbors
All two counties that border Pinellas County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pinellas County ranks 2nd of the three; Pasco County is highest, at 23.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pasco County, FL | 75 | 10.7% | 23.8% |
| Hillsborough County, FL | 73 | 11.7% | 17.7% |
| Pinellas County, FL | 64 | 10.8% | 21.4% |
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 Pinellas County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Pinellas County's poverty rate was 10.8% in 2024, 47th 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, Pinellas County ranks 50th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pinellas 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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Clearwater Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Consumer Credit and Budget Counseling, Dba National Foundation for Debt Management
HUD-approved housing counselor
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St. Petersburg Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc.dba Neighborhood Home Solutions
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Pinellas 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 Pinellas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.