Clayton County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Serious · 71.5 | 298,300 people · 21st most distressed in Georgia
American Default Research

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Clayton County, GA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 71.5 — 146th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Debt & Delinquency, where residents carry heavy debt burdens with elevated delinquency and collections rates. Within Georgia, it ranks 21st 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. Clayton County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 95.8 — worse than roughly 96% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 95.8
Debt in Collections 99
Medical Debt 81
Student Loan Delinquency 98
Auto Loan Delinquency 98
Credit Card Delinquency 100
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 98
Housing Cost Burden 95.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 98
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 97
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 86
Homeownership Rate 97
Rent-to-Income Ratio 99
Income & Poverty 65.0
Poverty Rate 75
Income vs. State Median 37
Child Poverty Rate 84
Community Vulnerability 52.4
Uninsured Rate 94
Disability Rate 11
Employment & Wages 48.6
Unemployment Rate 72
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 73
Business Formation Rate 1

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Clayton County
Clayton County, GA 71.5 Serious —
Spalding County, GA 70.3 Serious -1.2
DeKalb County, GA 59.0 Elevated -12.5
Henry County, GA 56.2 Elevated -15.3
Fulton County, GA 49.5 Normal -22.0
Fayette County, GA 38.7 Normal -32.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Clayton County
Baltimore city, MD 71.5 Serious -0.0
El Paso County, TX 71.6 Serious +0.1
Merced County, CA 71.7 Serious +0.2
Cameron County, TX 72.3 Serious +0.8
Hidalgo County, TX 72.4 Serious +0.9

Download Data

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

Find Help in Clayton 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 Clayton 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 Clayton County, Georgia?

    Clayton County has a County Distress Index score of 71.5 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 146th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 21st in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Clayton County?

    The primary driver of distress in Clayton County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 95.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Clayton County compare to neighboring counties?

    Clayton County (71.5) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Spalding County, GA (70.3); DeKalb County, GA (59.0); Henry County, GA (56.2).

  • 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 Clayton County?

    Clayton County, Georgia has a population of approximately 298,300 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a large county.