Unemployment in Walton County, Florida, is higher than in 63% of U.S. counties
In Walton County, 4.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 63% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Walton County's score
In Walton County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 62.4. About one in five renters (21.2%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 68% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 55.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Walton 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.
Walton County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($83,035, 2024) and people below the poverty line (10.6%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 62.4 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 rent21.2% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.3% · fiscal year 202756th percentile
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- 55.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202662nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.3% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
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- 52.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.6% · August 202547th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people141.3 · 202556th percentile
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- 44.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.3% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.9% · second quarter of 202629th percentile
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- 39.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.6% · 202427th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.1% · 202439th percentile
- People with a disability13.6% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- People without health insurance14.7% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$83,035 · 202416th 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 Walton 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 Walton County, 20.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Walton County
Florida
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Walton County fell most sharply on the way to its 2019 low, from 15.8% in 2014 to 13.0% in 2019.
In Walton County, pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks, with little change in benefit checks' share since 1969
In Walton County, Florida, benefit checks' share of income fell from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Walton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.2% in 2010 to 9.6% in 2011.
The share of households in Walton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 7.1% 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, Walton County, Florida.
How Walton County has changed
Walton County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 73,458 in 2019 to 89,666 in 2024.
Walton County's population grew to about six times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 89,666, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 17,831. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Walton County, Florida.
The number of jobs located in Walton County had its largest rise in the last span, from 27,201 in 2020 to 35,416 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Walton County grew to about five times its 1990 size in 2025, reaching 35,416, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 9,057. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Walton County, Florida.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.5% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.6% | 2024 10.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,251 | 2024 $83,035 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Walton County's history
1824
Organized December 29, 1824. Wikipedia
2003
A rip current in June 2003 killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Lightning in June 2008 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flood in July 2013 did $11 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 75,305, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A flash flood in September 2020 did $11 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
39 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Walton County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Walton County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Walton County, in Florida and Alabama, score higher than it does. Of the group, Walton County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Holmes County gets the largest, at 37.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva County, AL | 86 | 17.1% | 34.7% |
| Holmes County, FL | 83 | 18.7% | 37.7% |
| Covington County, AL | 83 | 18.9% | 36.2% |
| Washington County, FL | 72 | 14.9% | 35.6% |
| Bay County, FL | 64 | 11.6% | 24.4% |
| Okaloosa County, FL | 51 | 10.6% | 22.5% |
| Walton County, FL | 50 | 10.6% | 13.4% |
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 Walton County the poorest county in Florida?
No, Walton County's poverty rate was 10.6% in 2024, 50th 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, Walton County ranks 58th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Walton 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 Walton 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 Walton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.