In Bartow County, Georgia, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Bartow County, 25.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bartow County's score
In Bartow County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 82.8. Bankruptcy filings ran at 275.6 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 88% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 78.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bartow 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.
Bartow County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (12.0%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($82,311, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.2% · August 202577th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people275.6 · 202588th percentile
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- 78.0 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 rent21.5% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.7% · fiscal year 202786th percentile
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- 71.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.0% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.2% · second quarter of 202667th percentile
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- 36.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.7% · 202428th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.7% · 202431st percentile
- People with a disability12.0% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- People without health insurance14.8% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$82,311 · 202417th percentile
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- 26.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202618th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.2% · 2020 to 202434th 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 Bartow 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 Bartow County, 14.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bartow County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Bartow County had its largest rise, from 14.6% in 2004 to 21.3% in 2009.
In Bartow County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 21.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Bartow County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bartow County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.8% in 2010 to 10.5% in 2011.
The share of households in Bartow County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 8.7%
Low on the chart: 7.4% 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, Bartow County, Georgia.
How Bartow County has changed
Bartow County's population had its largest rise, from 74,128 in 1999 to 87,834 in 2004.
Bartow County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 117,508, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 101,169. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bartow County, Georgia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Bartow County more than doubled to 47,654, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 47,654. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bartow County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.1% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.3% | 2024 10.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,312 | 2024 $82,311 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Bartow County's history
1832
Created December 3, 1832, from Cherokee lands of the Cherokee County territory. Wikipedia
2003
A thunderstorm in July 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A tornado in January 2013 did $60 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 108,901, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A tornado in April 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bartow County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bartow County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Bartow County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bartow County ranks 4th of the seven; Polk County is highest, at 32.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, GA | 85 | 15.3% | 32.1% |
| Floyd County, GA | 80 | 14.9% | 29.3% |
| Gordon County, GA | 67 | 12.1% | 23.8% |
| Bartow County, GA | 64 | 10.7% | 21.4% |
| Paulding County, GA | 54 | 6.6% | 16.5% |
| Cobb County, GA | 44 | 8.7% | 12.3% |
| Cherokee County, GA | 19 | 6.8% | 14.3% |
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 Bartow County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Bartow County's poverty rate was 10.7% in 2024, 133rd 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, Bartow County ranks 117th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bartow 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.
Download the CSV for Bartow County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Bartow County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.