Baker County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Serious · 68.5 | 2,743 people · 46th most distressed in Georgia
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Baker County, GA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 68.5 — 287th 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 46th of 159 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Baker County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 90.1 — worse than roughly 90% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 90.1
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 80
Child Poverty Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 88.1
Debt in Collections 95
Medical Debt 92
Student Loan Delinquency 85
Auto Loan Delinquency 80
Credit Card Delinquency 82
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 95
Community Vulnerability 72.8
Uninsured Rate 92
Disability Rate 53
Employment & Wages 57.0
Unemployment Rate 55
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 54
Business Formation Rate 62
Housing Cost Burden 34.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 8
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 9
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 20
Homeownership Rate 58
Rent-to-Income Ratio 76

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Baker County
Baker County, GA 68.5 Serious —
Mitchell County, GA 79.6 Serious +11.1
Dougherty County, GA 79.0 Serious +10.5
Decatur County, GA 70.7 Serious +2.3
Early County, GA 68.8 Serious +0.3
Calhoun County, GA 67.8 Serious -0.6
Miller County, GA 63.7 Elevated -4.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Baker County
De Baca County, NM 68.6 Serious +0.1
Dickens County, TX 68.4 Serious -0.1
Allendale County, SC 68.6 Serious +0.2
Turner County, GA 68.7 Serious +0.2
Tensas Parish, LA 68.8 Serious +0.3

Download Data

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

Find Help in Baker 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 Baker 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 Baker County, Georgia?

    Baker County has a County Distress Index score of 68.5 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 287th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 46th in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Baker County?

    The primary driver of distress in Baker County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 90.1 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Baker County compare to neighboring counties?

    Baker County (68.5) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Mitchell County, GA (79.6); Dougherty County, GA (79.0); Decatur County, GA (70.7).

  • 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 Baker County?

    Baker County, Georgia has a population of approximately 2,743 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.