Clay County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Serious · 68.0 | 2,853 people · 50th most distressed in Georgia
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Clay County, GA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 68.0 — 314th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Georgia, it ranks 50th of 159 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 6 neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Clay County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 95.0 — worse than roughly 95% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 95.0
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 85.2
Debt in Collections 91
Medical Debt 79
Student Loan Delinquency 85
Auto Loan Delinquency 80
Credit Card Delinquency 82
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 95
Community Vulnerability 60.6
Uninsured Rate 39
Disability Rate 82
Employment & Wages 58.2
Unemployment Rate 90
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 79
Business Formation Rate 5
Housing Cost Burden 40.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 21
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 5
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 47
Homeownership Rate 36
Rent-to-Income Ratio 95

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Clay County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Clay County
Clay County, GA 68.0 Serious —
Quitman County, GA 76.7 Serious +8.7
Randolph County, GA 73.6 Serious +5.6
Early County, GA 68.8 Serious +0.8
Calhoun County, GA 67.8 Serious -0.1
Barbour County, AL 64.4 Elevated -3.6
Henry County, AL 50.5 Elevated -17.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Clay County
Floyd County, TX 68.1 Serious +0.1
Calhoun County, GA 67.8 Serious -0.1
Clay County, WV 68.1 Serious +0.2
Quay County, NM 67.7 Serious -0.3
Motley County, TX 67.7 Serious -0.3

Download Data

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

Find Help in Clay County

Find an Attorney

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

State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service 404-527-8700

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Clay County residents at no cost.

Atlanta Legal Aid Society 404-524-5811
Georgia Legal Services Program 1-888-257-4567
Georgia Legal Aid
State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service 404-527-8700

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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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Clay County, Georgia?

    Clay County has a County Distress Index score of 68.0 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 314th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 50th in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Clay County?

    The primary driver of distress in Clay County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 95.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Clay County compare to neighboring counties?

    Clay County (68.0) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Quitman County, GA (76.7); Randolph County, GA (73.6); Early County, GA (68.8).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Clay County?

    Clay County, Georgia has a population of approximately 2,853 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.