In 2022, Social Security transfers in Highlands County totaled $669.62 million, amounting to $6,340 per capita, or 37.8% of total government transfers, according to information from the Economic Innovation Group.
Among all government transfer programs, Social Security was the largest contributor in the county. Medicare was the second largest contributor, totaling $578.71 million, equating to $5,479 per capita and making up 32.7% of total transfers.
Comparatively, Social Security transfers across Florida amounted to $92.95 billion, ranking highest among all transfer types within the state. This translates to an average of $4,179 per capita, or 34.1% of total government transfers. Including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $272.93 billion, accounting for 18.9% of residents’ total income, with an average of $12,269 per resident.
Medicaid was the third largest contributor in Highlands County in 2022, accounting for $175.84 million, averaging $1,665 per capita, representing 9.9% of transfers. Income Maintenance transfers provided another $141.3 million, averaging $1,338 per capita and comprising 8% of government support, making them the smallest contributors.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
With 36.1% of the population aged 65 and older, Highlands County has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Despite this aid, the total per capita income in Highlands County, excluding government transfers was $25,092, which is far below the county’s total income of $41,845, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Highlands County saw an increase in its Social Security transfer dependency by 1%, reflecting both rising transfer amounts and stagnating or insufficient other sources of income.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans’ income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Highlands County, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 13.7% (or $2,784 per capita) in 1970 to 40% (or $16,753 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Dade County | 1 | 18.5% | 17.1% | 3.7% | 5.5% | 3.5% | 2.5% | $12,697 |
| Broward County | 2 | 16% | 18% | 4.8% | 4.6% | 2.1% | 1.8% | $10,589 |
| Palm Beach County | 3 | 11.3% | 25% | 4.3% | 3.6% | 1.2% | 0.9% | $12,289 |
| Hillsborough County | 4 | 17.5% | 15.1% | 5.3% | 4.7% | 2.5% | 2.1% | $10,415 |
| Orange County | 5 | 17.1% | 13.1% | 4.6% | 4.2% | 2.6% | 2.3% | $9,461 |
| Pinellas County | 6 | 20.7% | 26.4% | 7.7% | 6.4% | 2.7% | 1.3% | $14,197 |
| Lee County | 7 | 21.1% | 29.1% | 8.5% | 6% | 1.8% | 1.5% | $13,391 |
| Duval County | 8 | 19.3% | 15.3% | 5.7% | 4.9% | 3% | 2.3% | $10,827 |
| Polk County | 9 | 27.3% | 19.5% | 9.4% | 7.7% | 3.3% | 3.4% | $11,778 |
| Brevard County | 10 | 23.8% | 24.5% | 9.3% | 6.7% | 2.3% | 1.6% | $13,529 |
| Volusia County | 11 | 26.6% | 25.4% | 10.1% | 7.8% | 3% | 2% | $14,247 |
| Pasco County | 12 | 23.3% | 21.9% | 8.7% | 7.1% | 2.4% | 1.8% | $12,276 |
| Sarasota County | 13 | 18.3% | 37.4% | 8.4% | 6.1% | 1.3% | 0.7% | $15,361 |
| Marion County | 14 | 33.6% | 28.8% | 13.4% | 10.1% | 3.4% | 2.8% | $14,969 |
| Lake County | 15 | 26.2% | 26.7% | 10.4% | 8.1% | 2.5% | 1.9% | $13,674 |
| Manatee County | 16 | 21.1% | 28.5% | 9.1% | 6.7% | 1.7% | 1.4% | $12,606 |
| Collier County | 17 | 10.1% | 33.9% | 4.6% | 3.2% | 0.6% | 0.5% | $13,205 |
| St. Lucie County | 18 | 25% | 24.6% | 9.4% | 7.3% | 2.9% | 2.1% | $13,087 |
| Seminole County | 19 | 16% | 16.7% | 6% | 4.5% | 1.7% | 1.5% | $9,554 |
| Osceola County | 20 | 23.2% | 13.5% | 6.3% | 5.4% | 3.4% | 3.4% | $10,292 |
| Escambia County | 21 | 24.7% | 18% | 7.9% | 6.2% | 3.8% | 2.5% | $12,922 |
| Charlotte County | 22 | 32.2% | 40.5% | 14.5% | 10.9% | 2.1% | 1.3% | $17,123 |
| Sumter County | 23 | 32.5% | 57.4% | 17.5% | 10.6% | 0.9% | 0.8% | $22,504 |
| St. Johns County | 24 | 11.8% | 21.1% | 5.2% | 3.5% | 0.7% | 0.6% | $10,450 |
| Hernando County | 25 | 32.8% | 26.4% | 12.5% | 10.5% | 3.1% | 2.4% | $15,288 |
| Citrus County | 26 | 39.1% | 36.3% | 16.7% | 12.2% | 3.4% | 2.2% | $17,731 |
| Alachua County | 27 | 19.1% | 15.3% | 6.2% | 4.8% | 3.3% | 1.8% | $10,044 |
| Leon County | 28 | 17.5% | 14.8% | 6.1% | 3.9% | 2.4% | 1.9% | $9,483 |
| Indian River County | 29 | 15.3% | 34.9% | 6.9% | 4.9% | 1.1% | 0.8% | $16,143 |
| Clay County | 30 | 21.9% | 17.2% | 7.4% | 5.6% | 2.2% | 1.7% | $11,744 |
| Okaloosa County | 31 | 20.3% | 16.6% | 6.5% | 4.7% | 2% | 1.5% | $12,181 |
| Martin County | 32 | 13% | 32.2% | 5.8% | 4.4% | 0.9% | 0.6% | $14,305 |
| Bay County | 33 | 22.8% | 18.3% | 7.4% | 5.7% | 3.2% | 2% | $12,361 |
| Santa Rosa County | 34 | 19.5% | 16.7% | 6.7% | 4.8% | 1.7% | 1.3% | $11,194 |
| Flagler County | 35 | 25.6% | 31.3% | 11.2% | 7.8% | 1.8% | 1.4% | $15,418 |
| Highlands County | 36 | 40% | 36.1% | 15.2% | 13.1% | 4% | 3.2% | $16,753 |
| Nassau County | 37 | 16.5% | 23.8% | 7% | 4.5% | 1.5% | 0.9% | $12,626 |
| Putnam County | 38 | 38.5% | 23.9% | 12.9% | 11% | 6.1% | 4.4% | $15,200 |
| Columbia County | 39 | 32.7% | 20.4% | 10.2% | 8.5% | 5% | 3.5% | $14,126 |
| Monroe County | 40 | 10% | 24.7% | 3.7% | 2.7% | 0.8% | 0.6% | $11,949 |
| Walton County | 41 | 11.9% | 20.2% | 4.8% | 3.2% | 1.1% | 0.9% | $10,530 |
| Jackson County | 42 | 37.9% | 20.7% | 10.9% | 9.3% | 9% | 3.7% | $15,032 |
| Suwannee County | 43 | 35% | 21.9% | 11.4% | 9.5% | 5.6% | 3.6% | $14,560 |
| Levy County | 44 | 32.8% | 25.4% | 11.9% | 9.4% | 4% | 3.2% | $14,370 |
| Gadsden County | 45 | 32.3% | 20.1% | 9.9% | 7.9% | 5.7% | 4.7% | $14,296 |
| Okeechobee County | 46 | 32.4% | 20.9% | 10.2% | 10% | 5.2% | 3.7% | $13,125 |
| Hendry County | 47 | 28.4% | 13.5% | 6.9% | 6.4% | 6.1% | 4.8% | $11,156 |
| DeSoto County | 48 | 37.4% | 23.7% | 12.1% | 11.4% | 5% | 4.4% | $12,295 |
| Wakulla County | 49 | 21.6% | 16.9% | 8% | 5.9% | 2.2% | 2% | $10,306 |
| Bradford County | 50 | 30.7% | 19.1% | 9.6% | 8.4% | 5.5% | 3.4% | $12,753 |
| Washington County | 51 | 34.9% | 18.8% | 11.3% | 8.3% | 6.4% | 3.6% | $12,678 |
| Baker County | 52 | 25.1% | 15% | 7.8% | 7% | 4.1% | 3.1% | $11,240 |
| Hardee County | 53 | 32.3% | 16.8% | 9% | 8.8% | 5.6% | 4.9% | $11,290 |
| Taylor County | 54 | 36.6% | 21.9% | 12.7% | 8.8% | 6% | 4.6% | $13,539 |
| Holmes County | 55 | 37.3% | 20.1% | 11.6% | 9.7% | 6.6% | 4.1% | $14,408 |
| Madison County | 56 | 37% | 22.7% | 11.3% | 9.9% | 6.9% | 4.1% | $15,073 |
| Dixie County | 57 | 40.8% | 24.7% | 13.2% | 12.1% | 6.1% | 4.6% | $14,326 |
| Gilchrist County | 58 | 29.3% | 20.8% | 10% | 8% | 4.4% | 2.9% | $12,368 |
| Gulf County | 59 | 29.2% | 23.1% | 10.5% | 9.3% | 3.4% | 2.1% | $14,156 |
| Jefferson County | 60 | 27.2% | 24.6% | 9.5% | 7.3% | 4.3% | 2.5% | $13,415 |
| Hamilton County | 61 | 42.8% | 20.4% | 12.4% | 11.3% | 8% | 5.1% | $14,564 |
| Calhoun County | 62 | 37.4% | 19.2% | 10.9% | 10% | 8.1% | 3.9% | $13,559 |
| Franklin County | 63 | 28% | 27.4% | 10.7% | 6.9% | 3.7% | 2.5% | $12,772 |
| Union County | 64 | 34.2% | 16% | 10.5% | 9.2% | 5.3% | 4.6% | $9,074 |
| Glades County | 65 | 29.4% | 26.1% | 13.3% | 6.6% | 1.9% | 3.1% | $9,232 |
| Lafayette County | 66 | 31.8% | 19.1% | 10.7% | 7.6% | 5.9% | 3.2% | $10,771 |
| Liberty County | 67 | 32.9% | 17.3% | 10.6% | 8.6% | 5.7% | 4.3% | $10,702 |
