About one in 16 people in Davis County, Utah, lives below the poverty line
In Davis County, 6.4% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Davis County's score
In Davis County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 47.3. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 8.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Davis 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.
Even so, Davis County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (237.9, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 47.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.0% · August 202511th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people237.9 · 202583rd percentile
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- 33.2 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 rent17.4% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.9% · fiscal year 202720th percentile
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- 30.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202627th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.0% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
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- 10.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.4% · August 202516th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.7% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.3% · second quarter of 20265th percentile
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- 8.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.4% · 20242nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.2% · 20244th percentile
- People with a disability9.8% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$106,675 · 20243rd 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 Davis 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 Davis County, 11.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Davis County
Utah
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Davis County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 12.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about six times as much as benefit checks
In Davis County, Utah, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 12.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Davis County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 5.4% in 2019 to 4.6% in 2020.
The share of households in Davis County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 4.4% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Davis County, Utah.
How Davis County has changed
Davis County's population had its largest rise, from 262,189 in 2004 to 301,965 in 2009.
Davis County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 378,470, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 112,078. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Davis County, Utah.
The number of jobs located in Davis County had its largest rise, from 100,022 in 2010 to 118,284 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Davis County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 143,990, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 100,022. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Davis County, Utah.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.7% | 2024 6.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $36,960 | 2024 $106,675 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Davis County's history
1850
Created October 5, 1850 by the provisional State of Deseret legislature with Farmington designated as the county seat. Wikipedia
1940
Hill Air Force Base established. Wikipedia
1950
Population surge during suburb boom, doubled 1940-1950 and again 1950-1960. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 362,679, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A flood in April 2023 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A thunderstorm in July 2023 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Davis County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Davis County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Davis County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Davis County ranks 4th of the five; Weber County is highest, at 16.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weber County, UT | 32 | 8.9% | 16.5% |
| Salt Lake County, UT | 29 | 7.9% | 12.5% |
| Tooele County, UT | 16 | 6.2% | 14.7% |
| Davis County, UT | 11 | 6.4% | 12.2% |
| Morgan County, UT | 1 | 4.2% | 10.5% |
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 Davis County the poorest county in Utah?
No, Davis County's poverty rate was 6.4% in 2024, 25th highest of 29 in Utah (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is San Juan County, at 19.5%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Davis County ranks 23rd of 29 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Davis 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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Utah 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.
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 Davis County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.