Unemployment in Dade County, Georgia, is lower than in 76% of U.S. counties
In Dade County, 3.3% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 76% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Dade County's score
In Dade County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 74.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 28.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Dade 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.
Even so, Dade County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (222.7, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 74.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.4% · August 202569th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people222.7 · 202580th percentile
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- 51.3 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent15.2% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.8% · fiscal year 202769th percentile
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- 48.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.6% · 202436th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.2% · 202434th percentile
- People with a disability17.8% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- People without health insurance9.6% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,540 · 202439th percentile
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- 45.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.7% · second quarter of 202668th percentile
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- 28.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202622nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.2% · 2020 to 202434th 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 Dade 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 Dade County, 21.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Dade County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Dade County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 28.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Dade County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Dade County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 8.3% in 2023 to 10.5% in 2024.
The share of households in Dade County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 7.9% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Dade County, Georgia.
How Dade County has changed
Dade County's population had its largest rise, from 9,801 in 1969 to 11,755 in 1974.
Dade County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16,068
High on the chart: 16,657 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Dade County, Georgia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Dade County nearly doubled to 4,576, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 4,576. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Dade County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.7% | 2024 11.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,268 | 2024 $70,540 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Dade County's history
1837
Created in 1837 from land cut from Walker County. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 16,633. The 2020 Census counted 16,251, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $20 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flash flood in December 2015 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dade County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Dade County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Dade County, in Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Dade County ranks 5th of the six; Walker County is highest, at 30.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County, TN | 82 | 13.8% | 29.0% |
| Walker County, GA | 75 | 12.8% | 30.8% |
| DeKalb County, AL | 71 | 21.3% | 30.3% |
| Jackson County, AL | 67 | 17.0% | 30.7% |
| Hamilton County, TN | 54 | 14.5% | 19.6% |
| Dade County, GA | 49 | 11.6% | 28.8% |
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 Dade County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Dade County's poverty rate was 11.6% in 2024, 127th 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, Dade County ranks 136th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Dade 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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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.
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 Dade County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.