In Burke County, Georgia, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Burke County, 30.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Burke County's score
In Burke County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 91.6. Late payments on loans come next, at 89.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Burke 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.
Burke 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.
- 91.6 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 rent24.7% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.7% · fiscal year 202797th percentile
-
- 89.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.7% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.9% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score57.3% · second quarter of 202693rd percentile
-
- 87.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector41.8% · August 202596th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people212.8 · 202577th percentile
-
- 83.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line24.2% · 202495th percentile
- Children below the poverty line32.9% · 202494th percentile
- People with a disability16.3% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance13.8% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$51,974 · 202488th percentile
-
- 67.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202670th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.0% · 2020 to 202463rd 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 Burke 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 Burke County, 17.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Burke County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Burke County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 33.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Burke County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Burke County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 24.9% in 2017 to 21.9% in 2018.
The share of households in Burke County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 14.6% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Burke County, Georgia.
How Burke County has changed
Burke County's population had its largest rise, from 19,207 in 1979 to 20,419 in 1984.
Burke County's population rose by about a third to 24,472, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 24,472 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Burke County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Burke County had its largest rise, from 6,914 in 2015 to 14,007 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Burke County was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen by about half
High on the chart: 14,007 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Burke County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.6% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 31.1% | 2024 24.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,559 | 2024 $51,974 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Burke County's history
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 30,836. The 2020 Census counted 24,596, 80% of the peak. Census Bureau
1972
A tornado in January 1972 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A tornado in April 2009 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1977
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Burke County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Burke County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Burke County, in Georgia and South Carolina, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Burke County ranks 7th of the nine; Allendale County is highest, at 40.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond County, GA | 98 | 19.0% | 31.5% |
| Burke County, GA | 97 | 24.2% | 33.2% |
| Screven County, GA | 94 | 21.1% | 36.1% |
| Barnwell County, SC | 93 | 20.3% | 39.7% |
| Jefferson County, GA | 93 | 21.5% | 38.1% |
| Allendale County, SC | 90 | 31.6% | 40.4% |
| Emanuel County, GA | 88 | 22.1% | 35.3% |
| Jenkins County, GA | 86 | 28.8% | 36.8% |
| Aiken County, SC | 68 | 13.7% | 26.1% |
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 Burke County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Burke County's poverty rate was 24.2% in 2024, 22nd 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, Burke County ranks 12th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Burke 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 Legal Services Program
Legal aid
-
Georgia Legal Aid
Legal help website
-
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.
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 Burke County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.