About one in five people in Bulloch County, Georgia, lives below the poverty line
In Bulloch County, 21.5% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bulloch County's score
In Bulloch County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 83.6. About one in four renters (24.8%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 86% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 78.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bulloch 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.
Bulloch County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.5%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and adults 25 to 54 not working (19.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 83.6 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent24.8% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.5% · fiscal year 202781st percentile
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- 78.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector35.6% · August 202587th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people180.3 · 202570th percentile
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- 72.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.5% · 202491st percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.3% · 202473rd percentile
- People with a disability15.6% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- People without health insurance10.9% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,738 · 202478th percentile
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- 70.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.7% · second quarter of 202681st percentile
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- 36.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202628th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.8% · 2020 to 202444th 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 Bulloch 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 Bulloch County, 12.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bulloch County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Bulloch County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 23.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Bulloch County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bulloch County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 9.9% in 2011 to 11.8% in 2012; 14.6% in 2014 to 16.5% in 2015.
The share of households in Bulloch County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 16.5%
High on the chart: 17.4% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Bulloch County, Georgia.
How Bulloch County has changed
Bulloch County's population had its largest rise, from 60,832 in 2004 to 68,598 in 2009.
Bulloch County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 85,454, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 32,780. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bulloch County, Georgia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Bulloch County doubled to 28,815, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 28,815. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bulloch County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.6% | 2024 21.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,420 | 2024 $56,738 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Bulloch County's history
1796
Created February 8, 1796, from colonial-era St. Phillip's parish. Wikipedia
1984
A tornado in May 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 81,099, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bulloch County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bulloch County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Bulloch County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bulloch County ranks 6th of the eight; Jenkins County is highest, at 36.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screven County, GA | 94 | 21.1% | 36.1% |
| Evans County, GA | 90 | 22.6% | 30.5% |
| Emanuel County, GA | 88 | 22.1% | 35.3% |
| Jenkins County, GA | 86 | 28.8% | 36.8% |
| Candler County, GA | 84 | 21.3% | 36.5% |
| Bulloch County, GA | 80 | 21.5% | 23.8% |
| Effingham County, GA | 45 | 7.8% | 19.2% |
| Bryan County, GA | 29 | 7.5% | 17.5% |
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 Bulloch County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Bulloch County's poverty rate was 21.5% in 2024, 46th 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, Bulloch County ranks 83rd of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bulloch 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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CCCS of the Savannah Area, Inc. - Statesboro Branch
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Bulloch 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 Bulloch County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.