About half people with a credit file in Clayton County, Georgia, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Clayton County, 48.3% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector (Urban Institute, Debt in America, August 2025). That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clayton County's score
In Clayton County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 99.2. About half of people (51.9%, Q4 2025) have a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 99% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 99.1.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Clayton County does better than most counties on one measure: people with a disability (12.0%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Clayton County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 99.2 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind13.2% · August 202597th percentile
- People with a credit card behind14.7% · August 202599th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.9% · Q4 202599th percentile
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- 99.1 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income35.3% · fiscal year 202799th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent33.0% · 2020 to 202498th percentile
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- 98.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector48.3% · August 202599th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people486.8 · 202598th percentile
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- 67.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line24.8% · 202481st percentile
- People with a disability12.0% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,825 · 202471st percentile
- People below the poverty line17.4% · 202477th percentile
- People without health insurance17.0% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
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- 63.5 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.2% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.4% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202662nd percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Clayton County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Clayton County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Clayton County in 2024, pay from work was 59 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 28 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 4 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Clayton County, benefit checks rose from 4 to 28 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Clayton County, Georgia: 27.8% and 58.5% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 27.8% of all personal income in Clayton County, Georgia (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Clayton County, 10.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Clayton County has changed
The number of people living in Clayton County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 95,503 to 297,703. The number of jobs located there grew by about 53% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.3% in 1990 to 4.4% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 95,503 | 2024 297,703 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 84,948 | 2024 130,345 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.3% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.7% | 2024 17.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $31,941 | 2024 $59,825 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 3.5% | 2024 27.8% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Clayton County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 297,595, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1973
Tornado: $250 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Tornado: $7.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clayton County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Clayton County beside its neighbors
Clayton County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Clayton County ranks 2nd of the six; Spalding County is highest, at 31.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clayton County, GA | 98 | 17.4% | 27.8% |
| Spalding County, GA | 96 | 16.4% | 31.6% |
| DeKalb County, GA | 82 | 12.7% | 14.9% |
| Henry County, GA | 79 | 8.2% | 21.0% |
| Fulton County, GA | 63 | 11.3% | 8.9% |
| Fayette County, GA | 36 | 5.8% | 15.5% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Clayton County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Clayton County's poverty rate was 17.4% in 2024, 79th 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, Clayton County ranks 8th of 159 in the state.
Clayton County in photographs
Places in Clayton County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Clayton County courthouse in Jonesboro.
Clayton County border (border with Henry County), Lower Woolsey Rd.
Clayton County, Georgia: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Clayton County, Georgia?
17.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 24.8%.
Is Clayton County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Clayton County's poverty rate was 17.4% in 2024, 79th 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, Clayton County ranks 8th of 159 in the state.
What is the population of Clayton County, Georgia?
About 297,703 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 297,595, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clayton County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Nid-hca Atlanta Metro Regional Office
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Atlanta Legal Aid Society
Legal aid
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Georgia Legal Services Program
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Clayton County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Clayton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.