About one in 13 people in Effingham County, Georgia, lives below the poverty line
In Effingham County, 7.8% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Effingham County's score
In Effingham County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 76.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 23.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Effingham 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, Effingham County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (236.2, 2025) and people with a credit card behind (7.1%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.9% · August 202570th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people236.2 · 202582nd percentile
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- 63.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.1% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.9% · second quarter of 202656th percentile
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- 48.1 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 rent15.7% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.7% · fiscal year 202760th percentile
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- 24.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.8% · 20247th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.7% · 202411th percentile
- People with a disability13.7% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
- People without health insurance9.7% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$92,674 · 20248th percentile
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- 23.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20266th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.1% · 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 Effingham 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 Effingham County, 12.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Effingham County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Effingham County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 19.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Effingham County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Effingham County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 6.6% in 2010 to 7.6% in 2011; 8.5% in 2019 to 7.5% in 2020.
The share of households in Effingham County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen to 7.8%
Low on the chart: 6.6% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Effingham County, Georgia.
How Effingham County has changed
Effingham County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 63,730 in 2019 to 73,148 in 2024.
Effingham County's population grew to about six times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 73,148, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 15,503. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Effingham County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Effingham County had its largest rise in the last span, from 10,536 in 2020 to 14,590 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Effingham County more than tripled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 14,590, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2010 to 2015, reaching 9,419. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Effingham County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.8% | 2025 2.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.6% | 2024 7.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,318 | 2024 $92,674 |
The table uses 2.6% for 2025; the score uses 2.7% 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 Effingham County's history
1777
Created February 5, 1777 during the American Revolution from colonial parishes of St. Matthew and St. Phillip. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in May 1974 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Hail in May 2006 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in March 2008 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in March 2008 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 64,769, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Effingham County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Effingham County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Effingham County, in Georgia and South Carolina, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Effingham County ranks 6th of the seven; Hampton County is highest, at 36.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screven County, GA | 94 | 21.1% | 36.1% |
| Hampton County, SC | 81 | 20.5% | 36.3% |
| Bulloch County, GA | 80 | 21.5% | 23.8% |
| Chatham County, GA | 79 | 13.9% | 20.2% |
| Jasper County, SC | 74 | 14.5% | 30.4% |
| Effingham County, GA | 45 | 7.8% | 19.2% |
| Bryan County, GA | 29 | 7.5% | 17.5% |
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 Effingham County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Effingham County's poverty rate was 7.8% in 2024, 151st 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, Effingham County ranks 139th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Effingham 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 Effingham 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 Effingham County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.