Santa Rosa County, Florida
Above the national median for unemployment — and 15.7× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 0%).
Main Findings
Santa Rosa County, Florida ranks 1,588th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 5% of the labor force is unemployed — above the national median of 4%.
- 1,588th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Middle fifth, 65th in Florida.
- 5% of the labor force is unemployed (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment at the 82nd percentile nationally.
- Bankruptcy filing rate at 138 — national median 126, ranked at the 55th percentile.
- Severe rent burden (50%+) at 19% — national median 18%, ranked at the 54th percentile.
- Uninsured rate at 10% — national median 8%, ranked at the 67th percentile.
Neighbors span two CDI distress fifths. The 20-point drop to Okaloosa County marks where the FL Panhandle distress corridor ends.
"Santa Rosa County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story."
"The CDI places this county in the middle fifth nationally. The county sits near the center of the geography distribution, so the domain mix matters more than the composite alone."
The Indicators Behind Santa Rosa County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Santa Rosa County's value shown alongside FL's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Santa Rosa | FL median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 41 · Rank 1,876 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 6% | 5% | 37th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 7% | 5% | 44th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 22% | 29% | 23% | 43rd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 51 · Rank 1,494 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 22% | 28% | 23% | 47th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 138 | 138 | 126 | 55th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 48 · Rank 1,651 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 20% | 27% | 21% | 41st | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 19% | 25% | 18% | 54th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 82 · Rank 538 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 5% | 5% | 4% | 82nd | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 29 · Rank 2,428 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 9% | 19% | 18% | 6th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 15% | 17% | 16% | 46th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 8% | 14% | 14% | 8th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 22% | 27% | 27% | 26th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 10% | 12% | 8% | 67th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Santa Rosa County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 154-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
MILTON, Fla. — Santa Rosa County ranks 1,588th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 50 out of 100 places Santa Rosa in the middle fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,587 counties rank more distressed. Within Florida, Santa Rosa ranks 65th of 67 counties.
The index, which draws on 16 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies labor as the primary driver in Santa Rosa. 5% of the labor force is unemployed — above the national median of 4%.
"Santa Rosa County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Santa Rosa County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Santa Rosa County's distress score?
How does Santa Rosa County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Santa Rosa County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →