Unemployment in Suwannee County, Florida, is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties
In Suwannee County, 5.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Suwannee County's score
In Suwannee County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 86.4. Late payments on loans come next, at 81.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Suwannee 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.
Suwannee County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.6%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.3%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 86.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment 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 working27.5% · 2020 to 202483rd 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 behind7.6% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.9% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.8% · second quarter of 202676th percentile
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- 80.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.8% · 202483rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.9% · 202486th percentile
- People with a disability20.9% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- People without health insurance11.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,072 · 202472nd percentile
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- 67.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.1% · August 202581st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people134.4 · 202553rd percentile
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- 43.4 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 rent16.6% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.3% · fiscal year 202746th 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 Suwannee 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 Suwannee County, 21.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Suwannee County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Suwannee County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 35.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Suwannee County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 35.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Suwannee County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 20.2% in 2019 to 16.5% in 2020.
The share of households in Suwannee County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 13.1% 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, Suwannee County, Florida.
How Suwannee County has changed
Suwannee County's population had its largest rise, from 18,067 in 1974 to 22,433 in 1979.
Suwannee County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 47,536, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 43,237. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Suwannee County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Suwannee County nearly doubled to 11,824, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 8,802. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Suwannee County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.0% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.4% | 2024 18.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,118 | 2024 $59,072 |
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 Suwannee County's history
1918
Cotton crops devastated by boll weevil near end of World War I. Wikipedia
1948
Suwannee County Hospital built 1948 under Hill-Burton Act with federal funding for rural healthcare. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in May 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 43,474, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
37 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Suwannee County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Suwannee County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Suwannee County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Suwannee County ranks 4th of the six; Hamilton County is highest, at 42.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton County, FL | 98 | 25.3% | 42.3% |
| Madison County, FL | 92 | 19.6% | 36.6% |
| Lafayette County, FL | 90 | 19.6% | 37.4% |
| Columbia County, FL | 87 | 16.0% | 32.8% |
| Suwannee County, FL | 86 | 18.8% | 35.2% |
| Gilchrist County, FL | 75 | 14.1% | 30.6% |
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 Suwannee County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Suwannee County's poverty rate was 18.8% in 2024, 15th 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, Suwannee County ranks 23rd of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Suwannee 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 Suwannee 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 Suwannee County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.