In St. Lucie County, Florida, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in three dollars of the typical household's income
In St. Lucie County, 33.6% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives St. Lucie County's score
In St. Lucie County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 98.4. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 73.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in St. Lucie 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.
St. Lucie County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($73,824, 2024) and people below the poverty line (11.5%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 98.4 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 rent30.6% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income33.6% · fiscal year 202799th percentile
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- 73.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.2% · August 202561st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people248.7 · 202585th percentile
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- 67.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202686th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.4% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
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- 62.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.1% · August 202574th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.1% · second quarter of 202653rd percentile
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- 44.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.5% · 202435th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.5% · 202441st percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance11.4% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,824 · 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 St. Lucie 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. Lucie County, 24.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
St. Lucie County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in St. Lucie County had its largest rise, from 16.9% in 1989 to 24.0% in 1994.
In St. Lucie County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 26.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In St. Lucie County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in St. Lucie County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.6% in 2012 to 12.3% in 2013.
The share of households in St. Lucie County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 12.2%
Low on the chart: 7.6% 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, St. Lucie County, Florida.
How St. Lucie County has changed
St. Lucie County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 322,615 in 2019 to 390,670 in 2024.
St. Lucie County's population grew to about eight times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 390,670, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 287,704. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, St. Lucie County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in St. Lucie County doubled to 92,116, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 66,620. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, St. Lucie County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 13.1% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.1% | 2024 11.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,591 | 2024 $73,824 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 5.3% 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. Lucie County's history
1905
St. Lucie County was created from the southern part of Brevard County during the summer of 1905, with the county seat being at Fort Pierce. Wikipedia
1954
A tornado in September 1954 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in August 2008 did $67 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flash flood in September 2017 did $30 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 329,226, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A tornado in October 2024 did $475 million in property damage and killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
36 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered St. Lucie County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
St. Lucie County beside its neighbors
Of the three counties that border St. Lucie County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, St. Lucie County ranks 2nd of the four; Okeechobee County is highest, at 34.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Okeechobee County, FL | 87 | 17.0% | 34.1% |
| St. Lucie County, FL | 82 | 11.5% | 26.3% |
| Indian River County, FL | 57 | 9.2% | 16.5% |
| 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 St. Lucie County the poorest county in Florida?
No, St. Lucie County's poverty rate was 11.5% in 2024, 44th 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, St. Lucie County ranks 28th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in St. Lucie 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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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 St. Lucie 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. Lucie County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.