Echols County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Elevated · 62.3 | 3,709 people · 90th most distressed in Georgia
American Default Research

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Echols County, GA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 62.2 — 672nd 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 90th of 159 counties. It scores lower than all 5 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Echols County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 84.4 — worse than roughly 84% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 84.4
Poverty Rate 90
Income vs. State Median 70
Child Poverty Rate 93
Debt & Delinquency 74.3
Debt in Collections 87
Medical Debt 95
Student Loan Delinquency 85
Auto Loan Delinquency 5
Credit Card Delinquency 95
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 78
Employment & Wages 56.8
Unemployment Rate 13
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 81
Business Formation Rate 76
Community Vulnerability 50.0
Uninsured Rate 95
Disability Rate 5
Housing Cost Burden 45.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 38
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 56
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 37
Rent-to-Income Ratio 92

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Echols County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Echols County
Echols County, GA 62.3 Elevated —
Columbia County, FL 70.7 Serious +8.5
Hamilton County, FL 69.3 Serious +7.0
Lanier County, GA 67.8 Serious +5.6
Lowndes County, GA 67.7 Serious +5.4
Clinch County, GA 67.4 Serious +5.2

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Echols County
Jackson County, SD 62.3 Elevated +0.0
Shannon County, MO 62.3 Elevated +0.1
Jefferson County, MS 62.4 Elevated +0.1
Wilkinson County, GA 62.4 Elevated +0.1
Donley County, TX 62.1 Elevated -0.2

Download Data

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

Find Help in Echols 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 Echols 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 Echols County, Georgia?

    Echols County has a County Distress Index score of 62.3 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 672nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 90th in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Echols County?

    The primary driver of distress in Echols County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 84.4 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Echols County compare to neighboring counties?

    Echols County (62.3) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Columbia County, FL (70.7); Hamilton County, FL (69.3); Lanier 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 Echols County?

    Echols County, Georgia has a population of approximately 3,709 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.