About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Wakulla County, Florida, have a job
In Wakulla County, 11.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wakulla County's score
In Wakulla County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 68.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 30.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wakulla 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.
Wakulla County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 68.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.7% · August 202570th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people170.1 · 202566th percentile
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- 54.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.0% · August 202574th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.6% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.7% · second quarter of 202648th percentile
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- 45.5 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 rent18.3% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.8% · fiscal year 202739th percentile
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- 31.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.8% · 202438th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.1% · 202434th percentile
- People with a disability12.7% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance6.8% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$77,770 · 202423rd percentile
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- 30.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202655th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.8% · 2020 to 20245th 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 Wakulla 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 Wakulla County, 16.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wakulla County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Wakulla County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 21.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Wakulla County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wakulla County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 13.4% in 2019 to 9.9% in 2020.
The share of households in Wakulla 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: 4.5% 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, Wakulla County, Florida.
How Wakulla County has changed
Wakulla County's population had its largest rise, from 25,832 in 2004 to 30,459 in 2009.
Wakulla County's population grew to about six times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 37,115, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 31,256. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wakulla County, Florida.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Wakulla County more than doubled to 6,714, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 4,225. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wakulla County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.3% | 2024 11.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,011 | 2024 $77,770 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Wakulla County's history
1843
Created March 11, 1843; formerly part of the U.S. state of Florida. Wikipedia
2000
A flash flood in September 2000 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A tornado in December 2005 did $1.25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A flash flood in June 2012 did $8.79 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A thunderstorm in July 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 33,764, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
44 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wakulla County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wakulla County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Wakulla County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wakulla County ranks 4th of the five; Liberty County is highest, at 32.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, FL | 76 | 17.9% | 31.7% |
| Leon County, FL | 76 | 21.3% | 17.7% |
| Liberty County, FL | 76 | 20.5% | 32.6% |
| Jefferson County, FL | 74 | 15.9% | 26.5% |
| Wakulla County, FL | 43 | 11.8% | 21.3% |
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 Wakulla County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Wakulla County's poverty rate was 11.8% in 2024, 39th 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, Wakulla County ranks 65th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wakulla 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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Legal Services of North Florida
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 Wakulla 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 Wakulla County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.