Ben Hill County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Serious · 68.7 | 17,128 people · 44th most distressed in Georgia
American Default Research

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Ben Hill County, GA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 68.7 — 278th 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 44th of 159 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 3 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Ben Hill County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 94.9 — worse than roughly 95% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 94.9
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 94.8
Debt in Collections 95
Medical Debt 95
Student Loan Delinquency 95
Auto Loan Delinquency 95
Credit Card Delinquency 94
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 95
Community Vulnerability 56.5
Uninsured Rate 95
Disability Rate 18
Housing Cost Burden 54.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 16
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 49
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 18
Homeownership Rate 93
Rent-to-Income Ratio 94
Employment & Wages 43.1
Unemployment Rate 52
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 56
Business Formation Rate 21

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Ben Hill County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Ben Hill County
Ben Hill County, GA 68.7 Serious —
Telfair County, GA 75.8 Serious +7.2
Turner County, GA 68.7 Serious +0.1
Coffee County, GA 66.5 Serious -2.2
Wilcox County, GA 64.2 Elevated -4.5
Irwin County, GA 60.5 Elevated -8.2

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Ben Hill County
Pulaski County, GA 68.6 Serious -0.0
Matagorda County, TX 68.7 Serious +0.0
Richmond County, NC 68.6 Serious -0.0
Meriwether County, GA 68.7 Serious +0.1
Early County, GA 68.8 Serious +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Ben Hill County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Ben Hill 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 Ben Hill 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 Ben Hill County, Georgia?

    Ben Hill County has a County Distress Index score of 68.7 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 278th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 44th in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Ben Hill County?

    The primary driver of distress in Ben Hill County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 94.9 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Ben Hill County compare to neighboring counties?

    Ben Hill County (68.7) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Telfair County, GA (75.8); Turner County, GA (68.7); Coffee County, GA (66.5).

  • 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 Ben Hill County?

    Ben Hill County, Georgia has a population of approximately 17,128 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.