Bartow County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Elevated · 52.3 | 115,041 people · 130th most distressed in Georgia
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Bartow County, GA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 52.3 — 1435th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Debt & Delinquency, where residents carry heavy debt burdens with elevated delinquency and collections rates. Within Georgia, it ranks 130th of 159 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Bartow County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 78.8 — worse than roughly 79% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 78.8
Debt in Collections 77
Medical Debt 86
Student Loan Delinquency 73
Auto Loan Delinquency 63
Credit Card Delinquency 84
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 88
Housing Cost Burden 69.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 66
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 55
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 82
Homeownership Rate 53
Rent-to-Income Ratio 91
Community Vulnerability 52.9
Uninsured Rate 87
Disability Rate 19
Employment & Wages 43.9
Unemployment Rate 27
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 95
Business Formation Rate 10
Income & Poverty 16.6
Poverty Rate 18
Income vs. State Median 5
Child Poverty Rate 27

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Bartow County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Bartow County
Bartow County, GA 52.3 Elevated —
Floyd County, GA 68.4 Serious +16.1
Polk County, GA 68.2 Serious +15.9
Pickens County, GA 52.7 Elevated +0.4
Gordon County, GA 49.0 Normal -3.3
Paulding County, GA 45.1 Normal -7.1
Cobb County, GA 45.0 Normal -7.2
Cherokee County, GA 37.8 Normal -14.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Bartow County
Broome County, NY 52.3 Elevated +0.0
Lawrence County, PA 52.3 Elevated -0.0
Pittsylvania County, VA 52.3 Elevated +0.1
Cambria County, PA 52.2 Elevated -0.1
Aiken County, SC 52.2 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Bartow 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 Bartow 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 Bartow County, Georgia?

    Bartow County has a County Distress Index score of 52.3 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,435th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 130th in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Bartow County?

    The primary driver of distress in Bartow County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 78.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Bartow County compare to neighboring counties?

    Bartow County (52.3) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Floyd County, GA (68.4); Polk County, GA (68.2); Pickens County, GA (52.7).

  • 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 Bartow County?

    Bartow County, Georgia has a population of approximately 115,041 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.