About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Chattooga County, Georgia, is not working
In Chattooga County, 33.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Chattooga County's score
In Chattooga County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 89.8. About two in five people with a credit file (39.3%, August 2025) have unpaid debt sent to a collector, a higher share than in 93% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 81.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Chattooga 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.
Chattooga County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector39.3% · August 202593rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people257.7 · 202586th percentile
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- 81.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.3% · 202481st percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.6% · 202474th percentile
- People with a disability20.3% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- People without health insurance13.1% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,704 · 202487th percentile
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- 74.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202653rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working33.8% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
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- 71.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.2% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score58.0% · second quarter of 202693rd percentile
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- 56.1 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 rent16.8% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.8% · fiscal year 202770th 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 Chattooga 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 Chattooga County, 18.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Chattooga County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Chattooga County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 38.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Chattooga County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 38.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Chattooga County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.0% in 2012 to 20.0% in 2013.
The share of households in Chattooga County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 18.8%
Low on the chart: 9.4% 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, Chattooga County, Georgia.
How Chattooga County has changed
Chattooga County's population had its largest rise, from 20,477 in 1969 to 22,284 in 1974.
Chattooga County's population rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25,306
High on the chart: 25,894 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Chattooga County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Chattooga County had its largest drop, from 8,241 in 2000 to 6,953 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Chattooga County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 38% since
High on the chart: 8,241 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Chattooga County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.1% | 2024 18.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,349 | 2024 $52,704 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Chattooga County's history
1838
Created December 28, 1838. Wikipedia
1863
Battle of Trion Factory on September 15, 1863. Wikipedia
1906
By the end of that century, farmers had discovered that peaches grew well in Chattooga County, and by 1906 there were orchards in every part of the county. New Georgia Encyclopedia
1973
A tornado in March 1973 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in September 2009 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in September 2009 did $7.44 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in September 2009 did $3.72 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 26,015. The 2020 Census counted 24,965, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
2020
According to the 2020 U.S. census, the population of Chattooga County is 24,965, a modest decrease from the 2010 population of 26,015. New Georgia Encyclopedia
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Since 1973
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Chattooga County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Chattooga County beside its neighbors
Chattooga County scores higher than all four counties that border it, in Georgia and Alabama. Of the group, Chattooga County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (38.1%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chattooga County, GA | 89 | 18.3% | 38.1% |
| Floyd County, GA | 80 | 14.9% | 29.3% |
| Walker County, GA | 75 | 12.8% | 30.8% |
| DeKalb County, AL | 71 | 21.3% | 30.3% |
| Cherokee County, AL | 66 | 15.4% | 34.3% |
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 Chattooga County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Chattooga County's poverty rate was 18.3% in 2024, 69th 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, Chattooga County ranks 47th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Chattooga 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 Chattooga 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 Chattooga County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.