About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Putnam County, Florida, is not working
In Putnam County, 31.7% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives Putnam County's score
In Putnam County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 91.7. Income and the safety net comes next, at 87.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Putnam 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.
Putnam County does better than most counties on one measure: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (122.4, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202691st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.7% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
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- 87.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line20.7% · 202489th percentile
- Children below the poverty line33.5% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability19.8% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- People without health insurance14.1% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,250 · 202487th percentile
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- 84.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.6% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.5% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score53.3% · second quarter of 202686th percentile
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- 70.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector38.7% · August 202592nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people122.4 · 202548th percentile
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- 66.3 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.0% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.9% · fiscal year 202777th 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 Putnam 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 Putnam County, 23.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Putnam County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Putnam County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 39.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Putnam County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 39.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Putnam County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.9% in 2011 to 19.9% in 2012.
The share of households in Putnam County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 22.7%
High on the chart: 22.7% 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, Putnam County, Florida.
How Putnam County has changed
Putnam County's population doubled to 77,301, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 57,164. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Putnam County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Putnam County rose 10% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 18,843 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Putnam County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.4% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.1% | 2024 20.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,783 | 2024 $52,250 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.8% 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 Putnam County's history
1977
A tornado in December 1977 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A tornado in February 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A thunderstorm in July 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 74,364. The 2020 Census counted 73,321, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2023
Lightning in September 2023 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
38 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Putnam County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Putnam County beside its neighbors
Putnam County scores higher than all seven counties that border it. Of the group, Putnam County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (39.1%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam County, FL | 95 | 20.7% | 39.1% |
| Marion County, FL | 89 | 14.3% | 34.3% |
| Bradford County, FL | 83 | 18.2% | 30.7% |
| Volusia County, FL | 80 | 10.8% | 28.1% |
| Flagler County, FL | 69 | 9.9% | 27.1% |
| Alachua County, FL | 68 | 22.9% | 20.1% |
| Clay County, FL | 62 | 9.1% | 23.8% |
| St. Johns County, FL | 21 | 5.8% | 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 Putnam County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Putnam County's poverty rate was 20.7% in 2024, 6th 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, Putnam County ranks 3rd of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Putnam 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. - Palatka Office
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 Putnam 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 Putnam County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.