What is the poverty rate in Florida?
Refreshed monthly
The poverty rate was about 11.2% of Florida’s population as of 2025. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2025, 2.56 million people in Florida were considered in poverty.
11.2%
of the population (2025)
2.56M
people living under the poverty line (2025)
The state's poverty rate was 11.2% in 2025, the lowest based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010. It was 0.8 percentage points lower than the previous year. Florida's poverty rate hit a peak in 2012 of 17.1%.
In 2025, 11.2% of Florida's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2025
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2025, 2.56M people living in Florida were in poverty — down 21.2% from the 2013 peak of 3.25M.
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In 2025, 2.56M people in Florida were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2025
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
What is the child poverty rate in Florida?
From 2015 to 2025, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Florida decreased from 23.1% to 13.9%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 15% to 9.9%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 10.3% to 12.1%.
In 2025, 13.9% of children in Florida were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2015–2025
How does poverty differ by race in Florida?
Among racial or ethnic groups in Florida during 2025, four had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: American Indian and Alaska Native; Black or African American; Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race); and some other race
Two had a lower than average poverty rate: Asian, White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the Black or African American population shifted the most, decreasing from 25.2% in 2015 to 16.4% in 2025.
In Florida, the poverty rate for the Black or African American population decreased from 25.2% in 2015 to 16.4% in 2025.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2015–2025
What counties in Florida have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2020–2024, the poverty rate among Florida counties ranged from 6.5% in St. Johns County to 27.9% in Gadsden County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Miami-Dade County — was 14.7%
In 2020-2024, the poverty rate among Florida counties ranged from 6.5% to 27.9%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2024)
| 1. | Gadsden County | 27.9% |
| 2. | Hardee County | 25.3% |
| 3. | DeSoto County | 24.1% |
| 4. | Putnam County | 23.4% |
| 5. | Hendry County | 22.5% |
| 6. | Alachua County | 21.2% |
| 7. | Madison County | 21.0% |
| 8. | Jefferson County | 21.0% |
| 9. | Dixie County | 20.9% |
| 10. | Calhoun County | 20.7% |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
