In Banks County, Georgia, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Banks County, 15.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Banks County's score
In Banks County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 72.8. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 17.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Banks County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Banks County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (11.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.2% · August 202574th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people187 · 202571st percentile
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- 66.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.0% · second quarter of 202663rd percentile
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- 38.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.5% · 202418th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.4% · 202435th percentile
- People with a disability14.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- People without health insurance11.8% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,587 · 202422nd percentile
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- 31.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202612th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.9% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
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- 17.1 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent14.6% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.3% · fiscal year 20275th or lower percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Banks County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Banks County, 17.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Banks County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Banks County had its largest rise, from 15.8% in 2004 to 24.1% in 2009.
In Banks County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 21.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Banks County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Banks County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.1% in 2011 to 13.3% in 2012.
The share of households in Banks County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 9.0%
Low on the chart: 7.1% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Banks County, Georgia.
How Banks County has changed
Banks County's population tripled to 20,318, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 14,037. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Banks County, Georgia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Banks County more than doubled to 5,109, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 5,109. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Banks County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.5% | 2024 9.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,643 | 2024 $78,587 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Banks County's history
1859
Established February 1, 1859, created from Franklin and Habersham counties; the law was passed December 11, 1858. Wikipedia
2008
A thunderstorm in July 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 18,395. The 2020 Census counted 18,035, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1976
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Banks County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Banks County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Banks County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Banks County ranks 5th of the seven; Stephens County is highest, at 32.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephens County, GA | 87 | 17.7% | 32.9% |
| Franklin County, GA | 73 | 15.2% | 29.1% |
| Madison County, GA | 66 | 11.8% | 25.2% |
| Hall County, GA | 51 | 10.1% | 17.7% |
| Habersham County, GA | 44 | 13.6% | 28.3% |
| Banks County, GA | 41 | 9.5% | 21.8% |
| Jackson County, GA | 33 | 8.3% | 19.9% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Banks County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Banks County's poverty rate was 9.5% in 2024, 142nd highest of 159 in Georgia (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Calhoun County, at 36.8%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Banks County ranks 147th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Banks County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Georgia Legal Services Program
Legal aid
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Georgia Legal Aid
Legal help website
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Banks County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.