About one in 17 people in St. Johns County, Florida, lives below the poverty line
In St. Johns County, 5.8% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives St. Johns County's score
In St. Johns County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 56.1. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 7.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in St. Johns 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.
Even so, St. Johns County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (29.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 56.1 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 rent29.3% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.3% · fiscal year 202716th percentile
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- 51.7 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 202673rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.4% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
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- 35.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.9% · August 202518th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people133.4 · 202552nd percentile
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- 16.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.7% · August 202521st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202521st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.2% · second quarter of 20264th percentile
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- 7.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line5.8% · 20241st percentile
- Children below the poverty line5.4% · 20241st percentile
- People with a disability11.1% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance5.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$117,178 · 20242nd 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 St. Johns 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 St. Johns County, 21.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
St. Johns County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In St. Johns County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 13.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In St. Johns County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in St. Johns County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.6% in 2011 to 6.6% in 2012.
The share of households in St. Johns County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 4.2%
Low on the chart: 3.9% 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, St. Johns County, Florida.
How St. Johns County has changed
St. Johns County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 263,205 in 2019 to 334,928 in 2024.
St. Johns County's population grew to more than ten times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 334,928, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 38,273. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, St. Johns County, Florida.
The number of jobs located in St. Johns County had its largest rise in the last span, from 77,805 in 2020 to 100,949 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in St. Johns County grew to about four times its 1990 size in 2025, reaching 100,949, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 53,873. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, St. Johns County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.2% | 2024 5.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,106 | 2024 $117,178 |
The table uses 4.0% 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 St. Johns County's history
1996
A rip current in June 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A rip current in May 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A rip current in August 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Lightning in August 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 273,425, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1968
34 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered St. Johns County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
St. Johns County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border St. Johns County score higher than it does. Of the group, St. Johns County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Putnam County gets the largest, at 39.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam County, FL | 95 | 20.7% | 39.1% |
| Duval County, FL | 84 | 12.2% | 20.2% |
| Flagler County, FL | 69 | 9.9% | 27.1% |
| 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 St. Johns County the poorest county in Florida?
No, St. Johns County's poverty rate was 5.8% in 2024, the lowest 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, St. Johns County ranks 67th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in St. Johns 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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Three Rivers 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 St. Johns 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 St. Johns County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.