In Volusia County, Florida, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Volusia County, 28.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Volusia County's score
In Volusia County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 93.3. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 70.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Volusia 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.
Volusia County does better than most counties on two measures: people below the poverty line (10.8%, 2024) and median household income ($71,203, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.3 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 rent27.3% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.2% · fiscal year 202794th percentile
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- 70.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.6% · August 202558th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people231.4 · 202582nd percentile
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- 66.9 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 202685th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.4% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
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- 62.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.7% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.8% · second quarter of 202655th percentile
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- 47.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.8% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.3% · 202440th percentile
- People with a disability17.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- People without health insurance10.2% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,203 · 202437th 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 Volusia 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 Volusia County, 25.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Volusia County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Volusia County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 28.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Volusia County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Volusia County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.1% in 2011 to 11.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Volusia County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 6.4% 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, Volusia County, Florida.
How Volusia County has changed
Volusia County's population had its largest rise, from 300,615 in 1984 to 358,597 in 1989.
Volusia County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 602,772, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 504,322. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Volusia County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Volusia County rose by more than half to 189,494, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 189,494. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Volusia County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.3% | 2024 10.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,949 | 2024 $71,203 |
The table uses 4.5% 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 Volusia County's history
1854
Created December 29, 1854, from Orange County. Wikipedia
1998
A wildfire in July 1998 did $150 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in May 2009 did $68.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 553,543, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2022
A flood in September 2022 did $340 million in property damage and killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flood in October 2024 did $240 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
42 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Volusia County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Volusia County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Volusia County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Volusia County ranks 3rd of the seven; Putnam County is highest, at 39.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam County, FL | 95 | 20.7% | 39.1% |
| Marion County, FL | 89 | 14.3% | 34.3% |
| Volusia County, FL | 80 | 10.8% | 28.1% |
| Lake County, FL | 72 | 9.0% | 27.3% |
| Flagler County, FL | 69 | 9.9% | 27.1% |
| Brevard County, FL | 68 | 10.1% | 24.7% |
| Seminole County, FL | 57 | 9.0% | 17.2% |
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 Volusia County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Volusia County's poverty rate was 10.8% in 2024, 47th 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, Volusia County ranks 29th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Volusia 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. - Orlando Office
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Mid-florida Housing Partnership, Inc.
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 Volusia 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 Volusia County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.