In Polk County, Florida, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Polk County, 28.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Polk County's score
In Polk County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 90.4. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 83.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Polk 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.
Polk County does better than most counties on one measure: people with a disability (13.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.4 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 rent24.7% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.9% · fiscal year 202795th percentile
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- 83.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.2% · August 202582nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people248.7 · 202585th percentile
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- 81.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.1% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.7% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.5% · second quarter of 202673rd percentile
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- 72.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202689th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
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- 53.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.4% · 202451st percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.0% · 202454th percentile
- People with a disability13.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- People without health insurance12.4% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,708 · 202450th 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 Polk 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 Polk County, 19.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Polk County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Polk County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 28.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Polk County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Polk County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.9% in 2011 to 13.1% in 2012.
The share of households in Polk County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 14.6%
Low on the chart: 8.8% 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, Polk County, Florida.
How Polk County has changed
Polk County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 711,023 in 2019 to 852,878 in 2024.
Polk County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 852,878, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 628,217. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Polk County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Polk County nearly doubled to 264,981, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 264,981. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Polk County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.3% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.5% | 2024 13.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,028 | 2024 $66,708 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 5.6% 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 Polk County's history
1842
Native American settlements destroyed during Seminole War. Wikipedia
1966
A tornado in April 1966 did $25 million in property damage and killed eight people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1979
A tornado in May 1979 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
Hail in March 1996 did $24 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
Lightning in July 1998 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 725,046, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
37 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Polk County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Polk County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Polk County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Polk County ranks 4th of the eight; Highlands County is highest, at 41.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands County, FL | 94 | 15.5% | 41.2% |
| Polk County, FL | 91 | 13.4% | 28.2% |
| Hardee County, FL | 91 | 18.9% | 32.3% |
| Osceola County, FL | 88 | 13.0% | 23.7% |
| Pasco County, FL | 75 | 10.7% | 23.8% |
| Hillsborough County, FL | 73 | 11.7% | 17.7% |
| Lake County, FL | 72 | 9.0% | 27.3% |
| Sumter County, FL | 42 | 8.8% | 35.0% |
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 Polk County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Polk County's poverty rate was 13.4% in 2024, 34th 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, Polk County ranks 9th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Polk 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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Housing and Neighborhood Development Services of Central Florida, 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.
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 Polk County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.