In Carroll County, Georgia, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Carroll County, 28.1% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Carroll County's score
In Carroll County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 92.4. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 87.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Carroll 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.
Carroll County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and median household income ($75,188, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.4 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 rent26.7% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.1% · fiscal year 202793rd percentile
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- 87.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.5% · August 202582nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people317.1 · 202592nd percentile
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- 85.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.4% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.7% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.3% · second quarter of 202678th percentile
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- 50.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.3% · 202450th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.1% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability15.6% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- People without health insurance12.0% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$75,188 · 202428th percentile
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- 39.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202620th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.0% · 2020 to 202458th 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 Carroll 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 Carroll County, 14.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Carroll County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Carroll County had its largest rise, from 16.8% in 2004 to 21.6% in 2009.
In Carroll County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 22.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Carroll County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Carroll County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.6% in 2010 to 15.0% in 2011.
The share of households in Carroll County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 12.0% 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, Carroll County, Georgia.
How Carroll County has changed
Carroll County's population had its largest rise, from 85,082 in 1999 to 99,774 in 2004.
Carroll County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 129,911, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 113,042. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Carroll County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Carroll County had its largest rise in the last span, from 40,504 in 2020 to 46,150 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Carroll County nearly doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 46,150, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 35,260. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Carroll County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.0% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.5% | 2024 13.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,327 | 2024 $75,188 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Carroll County's history
1825
County boundaries created June 9, 1825; county not named until December 14, 1826. Wikipedia
2005
A tornado in August 2005 did $4.4 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in February 2008 did $8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in September 2009 did $16.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flash flood in September 2009 did $1.33 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 119,148, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Carroll County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Carroll County beside its neighbors
Carroll County scores higher than all eight counties that border it, in Georgia and Alabama. For the share of income from benefit checks, Carroll County ranks 6th of the nine; Randolph County is highest, at 36.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll County, GA | 85 | 13.3% | 22.9% |
| Heard County, GA | 84 | 12.5% | 28.6% |
| Randolph County, AL | 83 | 18.6% | 36.1% |
| Douglas County, GA | 81 | 10.7% | 23.0% |
| Haralson County, GA | 63 | 13.7% | 27.6% |
| Fulton County, GA | 61 | 11.3% | 8.9% |
| Cleburne County, AL | 58 | 14.0% | 28.5% |
| Paulding County, GA | 54 | 6.6% | 16.5% |
| Coweta County, GA | 41 | 7.3% | 16.6% |
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 Carroll County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Carroll County's poverty rate was 13.3% in 2024, 112th 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, Carroll County ranks 71st of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Carroll 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 Carroll 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 Carroll County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.