About two in five people with a credit file in Charlton County, Georgia, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Charlton County, 42.6% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Charlton County's score
In Charlton County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 91.8. People with a credit card behind: 10.3%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 89.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Charlton 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.
Charlton County does better than most counties on one measure: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind10.3% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.4% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score59.0% · second quarter of 2026top 5%
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- 89.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector42.6% · August 2025top 5%
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people247.4 · 202584th percentile
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- 82.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line20.4% · 202488th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.0% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability18.2% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance16.2% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,182 · 202482nd percentile
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- 71.4 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.1% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.9% · fiscal year 202786th percentile
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- 45.4 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 202621st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not workingnot published for this county; scored at the state median · 2020 to 202469th 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 Charlton 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 Charlton County, 14.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Charlton County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Charlton County had its largest rise, from 18.4% in 1989 to 23.5% in 1994.
In Charlton County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 34.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Charlton County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Charlton County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 25.2%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 19.1%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Charlton County, Georgia.
How Charlton County has changed
Charlton County's population more than doubled to 13,021, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2004 to 2009, reaching 12,665. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Charlton County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Charlton County had its largest drop, from 2,445 in 2005 to 2,018 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Charlton County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 2,445 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Charlton County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.5% | 2024 20.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,649 | 2024 $55,182 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Charlton County's history
1854
Created from portion of Camden County by act of Georgia General Assembly on February 18, 1854. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 12,518, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Charlton County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Charlton County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Charlton County, in Georgia and Florida, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Charlton County ranks 2nd of the six; Ware County is highest, at 40.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ware County, GA | 96 | 23.6% | 40.9% |
| Charlton County, GA | 91 | 20.4% | 34.2% |
| Brantley County, GA | 76 | 15.6% | 33.1% |
| Camden County, GA | 64 | 11.1% | 25.9% |
| Baker County, FL | 61 | 13.0% | 26.8% |
| Nassau County, FL | 48 | 8.7% | 18.5% |
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 Charlton County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Charlton County's poverty rate was 20.4% in 2024, 55th 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, Charlton County ranks 40th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Charlton 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 Charlton 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 Charlton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.