Early County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Serious · 68.8 | 10,563 people · 41st most distressed in Georgia
American Default Research

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Early County, GA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 68.8 — 272nd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Georgia, it ranks 41st of 159 counties. It scores higher than all 7 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Early County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 94.0 — worse than roughly 94% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 94.0
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 92
Child Poverty Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 88.7
Debt in Collections 95
Medical Debt 57
Student Loan Delinquency 95
Auto Loan Delinquency 95
Credit Card Delinquency 95
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 95
Housing Cost Burden 70.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 58
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 61
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 76
Homeownership Rate 69
Rent-to-Income Ratio 88
Community Vulnerability 64.2
Uninsured Rate 93
Disability Rate 35
Employment & Wages 26.1
Unemployment Rate 64
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 10
Business Formation Rate 5

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Early County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Early County
Early County, GA 68.8 Serious —
Baker County, GA 68.5 Serious -0.3
Clay County, GA 68.0 Serious -0.8
Calhoun County, GA 67.8 Serious -0.9
Seminole County, GA 66.8 Serious -1.9
Miller County, GA 63.7 Elevated -5.1
Houston County, AL 53.4 Elevated -15.4
Henry County, AL 50.5 Elevated -18.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Early County
Meriwether County, GA 68.7 Serious -0.0
Hendry County, FL 68.8 Serious +0.0
Ashley County, AR 68.8 Serious +0.1
Natchitoches Parish, LA 68.8 Serious +0.1
Socorro County, NM 68.8 Serious +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Early County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Early County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service 404-527-8700

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Early County residents at no cost.

Atlanta Legal Aid Society 404-524-5811
Georgia Legal Services Program 1-888-257-4567
Georgia Legal Aid
State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service 404-527-8700

Self-Help Resources

Georgia Legal Aid — Housing Self-help guides for Georgia foreclosure process, rights, and defenses
DCA Georgia HAF Resources Assistance programs and housing counselor referrals

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Early County, Georgia?

    Early County has a County Distress Index score of 68.8 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 272nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 41st in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Early County?

    The primary driver of distress in Early County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 94.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Early County compare to neighboring counties?

    Early County (68.8) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Baker County, GA (68.5); Clay County, GA (68.0); Calhoun County, GA (67.8).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Early County?

    Early County, Georgia has a population of approximately 10,563 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.