Emanuel County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Serious · 70.3 | 23,119 people · 28th most distressed in Georgia
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Emanuel County, GA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 70.3 — 197th 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 28th of 159 counties. It scores higher than all 10 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Emanuel County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 92.3 — worse than roughly 92% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 92.3
Poverty Rate 96
Income vs. State Median 86
Child Poverty Rate 95
Community Vulnerability 87.9
Uninsured Rate 92
Disability Rate 84
Debt & Delinquency 86.8
Debt in Collections 96
Medical Debt 90
Student Loan Delinquency 99
Auto Loan Delinquency 96
Credit Card Delinquency 74
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 66
Employment & Wages 43.1
Unemployment Rate 49
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 55
Business Formation Rate 25
Housing Cost Burden 41.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 11
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 8
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 13
Homeownership Rate 93
Rent-to-Income Ratio 82

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Emanuel County compares to its 10 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Emanuel County
Emanuel County, GA 70.3 Serious —
Jenkins County, GA 70.2 Serious -0.1
Candler County, GA 69.8 Serious -0.5
Treutlen County, GA 69.6 Serious -0.7
Jefferson County, GA 67.7 Serious -2.6
Toombs County, GA 67.5 Serious -2.8
Tattnall County, GA 67.1 Serious -3.3
Bulloch County, GA 66.6 Serious -3.7
Burke County, GA 66.2 Serious -4.1
Johnson County, GA 64.2 Elevated -6.2
Laurens County, GA 62.4 Elevated -7.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Emanuel County
McDuffie County, GA 70.3 Serious 0.0
Morris County, TX 70.3 Serious +0.0
St. Helena Parish, LA 70.3 Serious -0.0
Panola County, MS 70.4 Serious +0.0
Morehouse Parish, LA 70.3 Serious -0.0

Download Data

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

Find Help in Emanuel 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 Emanuel 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 Emanuel County, Georgia?

    Emanuel County has a County Distress Index score of 70.3 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 197th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 28th in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Emanuel County?

    The primary driver of distress in Emanuel County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 92.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Emanuel County compare to neighboring counties?

    Emanuel County (70.3) can be compared to its 10 neighboring counties: Jenkins County, GA (70.2); Candler County, GA (69.8); Treutlen County, GA (69.6).

  • 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 Emanuel County?

    Emanuel County, Georgia has a population of approximately 23,119 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.