Appling County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Elevated · 58.4 | 18,457 people · 105th most distressed in Georgia
American Default Research

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Appling County, GA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 58.4 — 953rd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Georgia, it ranks 105th of 159 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Appling County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 83.6 — worse than roughly 84% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 83.6
Poverty Rate 89
Income vs. State Median 67
Child Poverty Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 79.9
Debt in Collections 81
Medical Debt 86
Student Loan Delinquency 95
Auto Loan Delinquency 61
Credit Card Delinquency 81
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 76
Community Vulnerability 65.1
Uninsured Rate 91
Disability Rate 39
Housing Cost Burden 37.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 43
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 5
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 12
Homeownership Rate 63
Rent-to-Income Ratio 66
Employment & Wages 25.7
Unemployment Rate 55
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 5
Business Formation Rate 16

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Appling County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Appling County
Appling County, GA 58.4 Elevated —
Wayne County, GA 67.7 Serious +9.3
Toombs County, GA 67.5 Serious +9.1
Jeff Davis County, GA 67.1 Serious +8.8
Tattnall County, GA 67.1 Serious +8.7
Bacon County, GA 64.8 Elevated +6.4
Pierce County, GA 55.9 Elevated -2.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Appling County
Clinton County, PA 58.4 Elevated -0.0
Union County, AR 58.4 Elevated +0.0
Calloway County, KY 58.4 Elevated -0.0
Calhoun County, SC 58.4 Elevated -0.0
Grant County, NM 58.4 Elevated +0.0

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Appling County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Appling County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service 404-527-8700

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Appling County residents at no cost.

Atlanta Legal Aid Society 404-524-5811
Georgia Legal Services Program 1-888-257-4567
Georgia Legal Aid
State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service 404-527-8700

Self-Help Resources

Georgia Legal Aid — Housing Self-help guides for Georgia foreclosure process, rights, and defenses
DCA Georgia HAF Resources Assistance programs and housing counselor referrals

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Appling County, Georgia?

    Appling County has a County Distress Index score of 58.4 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 953rd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 105th in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Appling County?

    The primary driver of distress in Appling County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 83.6 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Appling County compare to neighboring counties?

    Appling County (58.4) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Wayne County, GA (67.7); Toombs County, GA (67.5); Jeff Davis County, GA (67.1).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Appling County?

    Appling County, Georgia has a population of approximately 18,457 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.