In Chatham County, Georgia, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Chatham County, 27.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Chatham County's score
In Chatham County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 89.9. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 85.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Chatham 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.
Chatham County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (2.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and median household income ($74,037, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.9 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 rent25.7% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.2% · fiscal year 202791st percentile
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- 85.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.5% · August 202584th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people255.6 · 202586th percentile
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- 81.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.9% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.8% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.9% · second quarter of 202674th percentile
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- 56.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.9% · 202455th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.0% · 202460th percentile
- People with a disability16.0% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- People without health insurance12.9% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,037 · 202430th percentile
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- 24.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202611th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.7% · 2020 to 202437th 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 Chatham 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 Chatham County, 16.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Chatham County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Chatham County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 20.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Chatham County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Chatham County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 8.1% in 2012 to 11.1% in 2014, 1.5 points each year.
The share of households in Chatham County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 11.8%
Low on the chart: 5.8% 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, Chatham County, Georgia.
How Chatham County has changed
Chatham County's population had its largest rise, from 262,122 in 2009 to 284,710 in 2014.
Chatham County's population nearly doubled to 307,336, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 307,336 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Chatham County, Georgia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Chatham County nearly doubled to 172,740, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 172,740. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Chatham County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.0% | 2024 13.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,154 | 2024 $74,037 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Chatham County's history
1777
Created February 5, 1777. Wikipedia
2001
Lightning in June 2001 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A thunderstorm in May 2005 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A rip current in June 2005 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 295,291, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
Lightning in June 2021 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Chatham County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Chatham County beside its neighbors
Chatham County scores higher than all three counties that border it, in Georgia and South Carolina. For the share of income from benefit checks, Chatham County ranks 2nd of the four; Jasper County is highest, at 30.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatham County, GA | 79 | 13.9% | 20.2% |
| Jasper County, SC | 74 | 14.5% | 30.4% |
| 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 Chatham County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Chatham County's poverty rate was 13.9% in 2024, 102nd 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, Chatham County ranks 89th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Chatham 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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Credit.org - Savannah, GA 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 Chatham 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 Chatham County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.