About one in 13 people in Dawson County, Georgia, lives below the poverty line
In Dawson County, 8.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Dawson County's score
In Dawson County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 60.2. Jobs are the lowest part, at 24.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Dawson 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, Dawson County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (11.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 60.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.9% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people185.9 · 202571st percentile
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- 44.1 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 rent12.5% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.6% · fiscal year 202767th percentile
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- 34.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.1% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.9% · second quarter of 202619th percentile
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- 24.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.0% · 20248th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.9% · 202417th percentile
- People with a disability11.8% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- People without health insurance11.8% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$93,710 · 20248th percentile
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- 24.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20267th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.4% · 2020 to 202442nd 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 Dawson 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 Dawson County, 19.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Dawson County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Dawson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 17.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Dawson County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Dawson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.6% in 2010 to 13.0% in 2011.
The share of households in Dawson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2011 and has since fallen by about half
Biggest drop: 2012 to 2013, reaching 11.2%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Dawson County, Georgia.
How Dawson County has changed
Dawson County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 26,010 in 2019 to 33,748 in 2024.
Dawson County's population grew to about nine times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 33,748, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 3,946. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Dawson County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Dawson County had its largest rise in the last span, from 8,639 in 2020 to 11,498 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Dawson County grew to about ten times its 1990 size in 2025, reaching 11,498, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2010 to 2015, reaching 7,851. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Dawson County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 2.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.2% | 2024 8.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,885 | 2024 $93,710 |
The table uses 2.7% for 2025; the score uses 2.8% 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 Dawson County's history
1857
Created December 3, 1857 from Gilmer and Lumpkin Counties. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Hail in March 2008 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
Lightning in July 2014 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 26,798, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1974
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dawson County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Dawson County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Dawson County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Dawson County ranks 5th of the eight; Fannin County is highest, at 32.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hall County, GA | 51 | 10.1% | 17.7% |
| Fannin County, GA | 50 | 13.9% | 32.0% |
| Pickens County, GA | 49 | 9.2% | 23.8% |
| Lumpkin County, GA | 43 | 13.0% | 24.6% |
| Gilmer County, GA | 39 | 14.4% | 31.3% |
| Dawson County, GA | 28 | 8.0% | 17.9% |
| Cherokee County, GA | 19 | 6.8% | 14.3% |
| Forsyth County, GA | 4 | 4.5% | 8.2% |
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 Dawson County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Dawson County's poverty rate was 8.0% in 2024, 150th 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, Dawson County ranks 156th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Dawson 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.
Download the CSV for Dawson 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 Dawson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.