About half people with a credit file in Dougherty County, Georgia, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Dougherty County, 47.4% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 99% of U.S. counties.
What drives Dougherty County's score
In Dougherty County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 98.2. Late payments on loans come next, at 98.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Dougherty 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.
Dougherty County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 98.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector47.4% · August 202599th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people440.4 · 202597th percentile
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- 98.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind12.6% · August 202598th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.6% · August 202596th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score65.7% · second quarter of 202699th percentile
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- 90.7 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 rent27.6% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.2% · fiscal year 202788th percentile
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- 87.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line23.6% · 202494th percentile
- Children below the poverty line35.2% · 202496th percentile
- People with a disability18.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- People without health insurance13.1% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$50,559 · 202490th percentile
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- 84.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202677th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working30.4% · 2020 to 202490th 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 Dougherty 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 Dougherty County, 17.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Dougherty County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Dougherty County, benefit checks' share of income has grown since 1969, reaching 34.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Dougherty County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Dougherty County getting SNAP food aid made its largest gain on the way to its 2023 high, from 26.1% in 2022 to 29.1% in 2023.
The share of households in Dougherty County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 29.0%
High on the chart: 29.1% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Dougherty County, Georgia.
How Dougherty County has changed
Dougherty County's population had its largest rise, from 92,145 in 1974 to 99,421 in 1979.
Dougherty County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 101,568 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Dougherty County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Dougherty County had its largest rise, from 47,653 in 1990 to 53,690 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Dougherty County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 54,259 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Dougherty County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.6% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 25.4% | 2024 23.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,763 | 2024 $50,559 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Dougherty County's history
1853
Created December 15, 1853, by the Georgia General Assembly from part of Baker County. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 100,718. The 2020 Census counted 85,790, 85% of the peak. Census Bureau
1995
A tornado in November 1995 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A thunderstorm in January 2017 did $17 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A tornado in January 2017 did $300 million in property damage and killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1966
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dougherty County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Dougherty County beside its neighbors
Dougherty County scores higher than all six counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Dougherty County ranks 2nd of the seven; Calhoun County is highest, at 44.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dougherty County, GA | 99 | 23.6% | 34.8% |
| Terrell County, GA | 99 | 27.3% | 34.3% |
| Mitchell County, GA | 98 | 23.0% | 30.6% |
| Worth County, GA | 97 | 26.4% | 30.0% |
| Baker County, GA | 93 | 24.1% | 29.9% |
| Calhoun County, GA | 87 | 36.8% | 44.7% |
| Lee County, GA | 45 | 9.7% | 19.9% |
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 Dougherty County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Dougherty County's poverty rate was 23.6% in 2024, 25th 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, Dougherty County ranks 1st of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Dougherty 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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City of Albany, Georgia
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Nid-hca Albany (FLETCHER)
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Dougherty 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 Dougherty County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.