About one in four people in Clarke County, Georgia, lives below the poverty line
In Clarke County, 23.5% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clarke County's score
In Clarke County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 96.4. About one in three renters (32.9%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 98% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 72.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Clarke 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.
Clarke County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (12.1%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.2%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 96.4 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 rent32.9% · 2020 to 202498th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.2% · fiscal year 202793rd percentile
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- 72.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.8% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.2% · second quarter of 202667th percentile
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- 69.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line23.5% · 202494th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.9% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability12.1% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- People without health insurance11.2% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,739 · 202482nd percentile
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- 67.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.3% · August 202569th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people167.8 · 202565th percentile
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- 24.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202618th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.6% · 2020 to 202430th 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 Clarke 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 Clarke County, 12.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Clarke County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Clarke County had its largest rise, from 13.6% in 2004 to 19.6% in 2009.
In Clarke County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 20.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Clarke County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Clarke County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.6% in 2011 to 13.3% in 2012.
The share of households in Clarke County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 9.4%
Low on the chart: 8.5% 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, Clarke County, Georgia.
How Clarke County has changed
Clarke County's population doubled to 129,995, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 74,185. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Clarke County, Georgia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Clarke County rose 42% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 73,999. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Clarke County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.6% | 2024 23.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,936 | 2024 $54,739 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 Clarke County's history
1861
Prosperity and economic growth were punctuated by periods of stagnation during the nation’s wars and depressions, although Clarke County suffered less during both the Civil War (1861-65) and the Great Depression than many other Georgia counties. New Georgia Encyclopedia
1875
Agriculture was the predominant sector of Clarke’s economy during the county’s first two centuries, with cotton preeminent at first; after 1875 food crops became the dominant agricultural product. New Georgia Encyclopedia
1941
Industrial development after World War II (1941-45) included the building of plants to process poultry and timber. New Georgia Encyclopedia
1973
A tornado in March 1973 did $250 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1973
A tornado in May 1973 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Hail in July 2018 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Hail in July 2018 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 128,671, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clarke County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Clarke County beside its neighbors
Clarke County scores higher than all four counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Clarke County ranks 3rd of the five; Madison County is highest, at 25.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarke County, GA | 77 | 23.5% | 20.6% |
| Madison County, GA | 66 | 11.8% | 25.2% |
| Oglethorpe County, GA | 57 | 12.2% | 22.6% |
| Jackson County, GA | 33 | 8.3% | 19.9% |
| Oconee County, GA | 1 | 5.7% | 10.8% |
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 Clarke County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Clarke County's poverty rate was 23.5% in 2024, 27th 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, Clarke County ranks 94th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clarke 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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Athens Land Trust, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Hancock Community Development Corporation
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 Clarke 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 Clarke County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.