About one in two people with a credit file in Bibb County, Georgia, has unpaid debt sent to a collector

In Bibb County, 45.5% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.

Photo of Ross Kilburn
Data from
County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026
4th
of 159 counties in Georgia
22nd of 3,144 U.S. counties
99score /100

More distressed than 99% of U.S. counties.

What drives Bibb County's score

In Bibb County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 97.8. About three in ten renters (30.7%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 97% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 97.8.

The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bibb 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.

Bibb County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.

A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.

  • Housing costs

    97.8 of 100

    Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027

    • Renters paying half their income or more in rent
      30.7% · 2020 to 2024
      97th percentile
    • Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income
      31.0% · fiscal year 2027
      97th percentile

  • Collections and bankruptcy

    97.8 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025

    • People with unpaid debt sent to a collector
      45.5% · August 2025
      98th percentile
    • Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people
      426.8 · 2025
      96th percentile

  • Late payments

    95.5 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026

    • People with a credit card behind
      10.0% · August 2025
      95th percentile
    • People with a car or retail loan behind
      11.1% · August 2025
      95th percentile
    • People with a subprime credit score
      59.9% · second quarter of 2026
      96th percentile

  • Income and safety net

    82.4 of 100

    Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey

    • People below the poverty line
      23.4% · 2024
      94th percentile
    • Children below the poverty line
      29.3% · 2024
      90th percentile
    • People with a disability
      16.1% · 2020 to 2024
      51st percentile
    • People without health insurance
      13.6% · 2020 to 2024
      85th percentile
    • Median household income (lower income, longer bar)
      $50,751 · 2024
      90th percentile

  • Jobs

    69.1 of 100

    Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey

    • Unemployment rate, average over the latest year
      4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026
      60th percentile
    • Adults 25 to 54 not working
      25.8% · 2020 to 2024
      77th percentile

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 Bibb 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 Bibb County, 16.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.

Cents of every dollar of income, 2024

Bibb County

49 20 31

Georgia

62 20 19

United States

61 21 18
  • Pay from work
  • Investments and rent
  • Benefit checks
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4), shares of all personal income received by residents, 2024. Pay from work is total income minus the other two, so the three add to 100.

In Bibb County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 31.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks

In Bibb County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 31.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.

  • Benefit checks
  • Pay from work
0%40%80% 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 0%40%80% 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4), shares of all personal income received by residents, Bibb County, Georgia American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/georgia/bibb-county-ga/
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The share of households in Bibb County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 17.4% in 2011 to 21.4% in 2013, 2.0 points each year.

The share of households in Bibb County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 22.3%

High on the chart: 23.2% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Bibb County, Georgia.

0%15%30% 15.4%22.3% 2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 0%15%30% 15.4%22.3% 20092011201320152017201920212024
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/georgia/bibb-county-ga/
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How Bibb County has changed

Bibb County's population had its largest rise, from 143,204 in 1969 to 147,516 in 1974.

Bibb County's population rose 10% from 1969 to 2024

High on the chart: 157,227 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bibb County, Georgia.

0100,000200,000 143,204157,056 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 0100,000200,000 143,204157,056 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/georgia/bibb-county-ga/
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The number of jobs located in Bibb County rose most sharply from its first year (76,685 in 1990) to 84,217 in 1995.

The number of jobs located in Bibb County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 11% since

High on the chart: 89,394 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bibb County, Georgia.

045,00090,000 76,68579,940 19901995200020052010201520202025 045,00090,000 76,68579,940 19901995200020052010201520202025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/georgia/bibb-county-ga/
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MeasureThenNowSource
Unemployment rateBLS LAUS 1990 5.0% 2025 4.3% BLS LAUS
People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE 1989 20.3% 2024 23.4% Census SAIPE
Median household incomeCensus SAIPE 1989 $25,474 2024 $50,751 Census SAIPE

Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.

Dated events in Bibb County's history

  1. 1822

    Created December 9, 1822 by act of the Georgia Legislature from territories of Jones, Monroe, Houston, and Twiggs Counties. Wikipedia

  2. 1954

    A tornado in March 1954 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database

  3. 1955

    A tornado in May 1955 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  4. 1979

    A tornado in April 1979 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  5. 2006

    Brown and Williamson plant closing in 2006 and decline of textile industry. Wikipedia

  6. 2008

    A tornado in May 2008 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  7. 2020

    The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 157,346, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau

  8. Since 1977

    16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bibb County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA

Bibb County beside its neighbors

Bibb County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bibb County ranks 2nd of the six; Twiggs County is highest, at 37.4%.

CountyDistress scoreScoreRank in its state Poverty rateBenefit checks, share of incomeBenefit checks
Bibb County, GA 99 4th of 159 23.4% 31.0%
Twiggs County, GA 97 11th of 159 20.1% 37.4%
Crawford County, GA 79 92nd of 159 14.4% 28.2%
Houston County, GA 61 124th of 159 11.9% 23.8%
Jones County, GA 56 128th of 159 11.7% 24.1%
Monroe County, GA 46 137th of 159 10.5% 20.0%

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 Bibb County the poorest county in Georgia?

No, Bibb County's poverty rate was 23.4% in 2024, 28th 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, Bibb County ranks 4th of 159 in the state.

If you're behind on your mortgage in Bibb 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.

Georgia foreclosure guide →

The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.

Download the CSV for Bibb County · Every U.S. county (CSV)

Cite this Bibb County, Georgia, scores 99 on the County Distress Index (data through Sep 2026): more distressed than 99% of U.S. counties · American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/georgia/bibb-county-ga/

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 Bibb County comes from, 2024.
  • History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.