Elbert County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Serious · 69.8 | 20,013 people · 33rd most distressed in Georgia
American Default Research

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Elbert County, GA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 69.8 — 218th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Debt & Delinquency, where residents carry heavy debt burdens with elevated delinquency and collections rates. Within Georgia, it ranks 33rd of 159 counties. It scores higher than all 8 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Elbert County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 85.3 — worse than roughly 85% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 85.3
Debt in Collections 81
Medical Debt 94
Student Loan Delinquency 94
Auto Loan Delinquency 93
Credit Card Delinquency 83
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 67
Income & Poverty 77.2
Poverty Rate 78
Income vs. State Median 70
Child Poverty Rate 84
Community Vulnerability 74.7
Uninsured Rate 73
Disability Rate 76
Housing Cost Burden 60.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 33
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 73
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 37
Homeownership Rate 76
Rent-to-Income Ratio 83
Employment & Wages 51.5
Unemployment Rate 23
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 73
Business Formation Rate 59

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Elbert County compares to its 8 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Elbert County
Elbert County, GA 69.8 Serious —
Wilkes County, GA 64.8 Elevated -5.0
Lincoln County, GA 61.1 Elevated -8.7
Hart County, GA 59.7 Elevated -10.1
Madison County, GA 57.9 Elevated -11.9
Abbeville County, SC 54.3 Elevated -15.5
Anderson County, SC 53.6 Elevated -16.2
Oglethorpe County, GA 53.1 Elevated -16.6
McCormick County, SC 51.4 Elevated -18.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Elbert County
Candler County, GA 69.8 Serious +0.0
Torrance County, NM 69.8 Serious +0.0
Mississippi County, AR 69.7 Serious -0.1
Haywood County, TN 69.8 Serious +0.1
Clare County, MI 69.7 Serious -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Elbert 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 Elbert 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 Elbert County, Georgia?

    Elbert County has a County Distress Index score of 69.8 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 218th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 33rd in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Elbert County?

    The primary driver of distress in Elbert County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 85.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Elbert County compare to neighboring counties?

    Elbert County (69.8) can be compared to its 8 neighboring counties: Wilkes County, GA (64.8); Lincoln County, GA (61.1); Hart County, GA (59.7).

  • 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 Elbert County?

    Elbert County, Georgia has a population of approximately 20,013 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.