Clarke County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Elevated · 64.6 | 129,933 people · 80th most distressed in Georgia

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Clarke County, GA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 64.6 — 524th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Georgia, it ranks 80th of 159 counties. It scores higher than all 5 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Clarke County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 91.2 — worse than roughly 91% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 91.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 99
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 100
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 64
Homeownership Rate 99
Rent-to-Income Ratio 94
Income & Poverty 75.1
Poverty Rate 94
Income vs. State Median 52
Child Poverty Rate 79
Debt & Delinquency 68.2
Debt in Collections 69
Medical Debt 69
Student Loan Delinquency 56
Auto Loan Delinquency 87
Credit Card Delinquency 63
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 66
Community Vulnerability 46.0
Uninsured Rate 72
Disability Rate 20
Employment & Wages 42.5
Unemployment Rate 30
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 69
Business Formation Rate 28

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Clarke County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Clarke County
Clarke County, GA 64.6 Elevated
Madison County, GA 57.9 Elevated -6.7
Barrow County, GA 54.0 Elevated -10.7
Oglethorpe County, GA 53.1 Elevated -11.5
Jackson County, GA 39.3 Normal -25.4
Oconee County, GA 18.3 Healthy -46.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Clarke County
Columbus County, NC 64.6 Elevated -0.0
Trumbull County, OH 64.7 Elevated +0.1
Hunt County, TX 64.7 Elevated +0.1
Josephine County, OR 64.5 Elevated -0.1
Delaware County, IN 64.8 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Clarke County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Clarke County

HUD-Approved Housing Counselors

Free foreclosure prevention and financial counseling near Clarke County.

ATHENS LAND TRUST, INC
Athens
Foreclosure PreventionFinancial CounselingFinancial CounselingFair Housing
HANCOCK COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Athens
Foreclosure PreventionMortgage HelpHomeless/DisplacementPre-Purchase

Find an Attorney

State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Clarke County residents at no cost.

Self-Help Resources

Georgia Legal Aid — Housing Self-help guides for Georgia foreclosure process, rights, and defenses
DCA Georgia HAF Resources Assistance programs and housing counselor referrals

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