In DeKalb County, Georgia, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In DeKalb County, 26.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives DeKalb County's score
In DeKalb County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 92.1. About three in ten renters (29.9%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 96% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 87.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in DeKalb 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.
DeKalb County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (12.2%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($81,452, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.1 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent29.9% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.0% · fiscal year 202787th percentile
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- 87.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector32.9% · August 202581st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people321.8 · 202592nd percentile
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- 84.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.9% · August 202590th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.2% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.7% · second quarter of 202673rd percentile
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- 42.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.7% · 202446th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.6% · 202447th percentile
- People with a disability12.2% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- People without health insurance12.7% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$81,452 · 202418th percentile
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- 36.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202631st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.2% · 2020 to 202440th 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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb County, 13.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
DeKalb County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in DeKalb County had its largest rise, from 10.3% in 2004 to 14.5% in 2009.
In DeKalb County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 14.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In DeKalb County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 14.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in DeKalb County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.5% in 2011 to 12.5% in 2012.
The share of households in DeKalb County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 7.6% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, DeKalb County, Georgia.
How DeKalb County has changed
DeKalb County's population had its largest rise, from 409,269 in 1969 to 477,964 in 1974.
DeKalb County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 770,307, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 480,233. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, DeKalb County, Georgia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in DeKalb County rose 14% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 313,584 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, DeKalb County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.1% | 2024 12.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $32,936 | 2024 $81,452 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 DeKalb County's history
1998
A tornado in April 1998 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
Lightning in May 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A flash flood in September 2004 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in September 2009 did $6.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
DeKalb County School District bus drivers strike in April 2018 over low pay and poor working conditions. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 764,382, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered DeKalb County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
DeKalb County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border DeKalb County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, DeKalb County ranks 5th of the six; Clayton County is highest, at 27.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clayton County, GA | 98 | 17.4% | 27.8% |
| Rockdale County, GA | 89 | 11.8% | 26.4% |
| DeKalb County, GA | 81 | 12.7% | 14.9% |
| Henry County, GA | 78 | 8.2% | 21.0% |
| Gwinnett County, GA | 61 | 10.4% | 16.1% |
| Fulton County, GA | 61 | 11.3% | 8.9% |
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 DeKalb County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, DeKalb County's poverty rate was 12.7% in 2024, 116th 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, DeKalb County ranks 81st of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in DeKalb 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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Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Atlanta
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Center for Pan Asian Community Services, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Atlanta Legal Aid Society
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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.