#1,858 Georgia · 2026

Fannin County, Georgia

45.4 · moderate-low county distress 1,858th of 3,144 counties nationally · 25,955 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
15% Fannin residents
vs.
8% U.S. median

Above the national median for uninsured rate.

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 39 words · paste-ready

Fannin County, Georgia ranks 1,858th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 15% of residents lack health insurance — above the national median of 8%. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.

Key Findings
  • 1,858th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 45.4 · moderate-low county distress, 145th in Georgia.
  • 15% of residents lack health insurance (U.S. median 8%). Uninsured rate at the 89th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Bankruptcy filing rate at 216 — national median 126, ranked at the 79th percentile. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
  • Auto loan delinquency at 6% — national median 5%, ranked at the 58th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Debt Burden (housing basis) domain score 23 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 23-point drop to Union County marks where the Georgia distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Fannin County, Georgia and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Fannin and its 7 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Fannin County ranks 1,858th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 18 words

Fannin County has a moderate-low county distress score. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 33 words

The CDI gives this county a moderate-low county distress label. The state rank and highest-scoring local domain add context that the composite alone cannot carry. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.

— American Default Research

Indicator History

Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.

Updated Jul 1, 2026
BLS 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

3.2% -4.5 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

13.9% -5.8 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

32.0% +19.7 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

20.1% -9.6 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Fannin County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Fannin County's value shown alongside GA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.

How to read the table. A domain score is a 0–100 composite of the indicators in that domain; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Fannin County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Fannin GA median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 48 · Rank 1,638 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 6% 8% 5% 58th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 6% 8% 5% 51st Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 20% 36% 23% 35th Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 66 · Rank 887 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 24% 36% 23% 53rd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 216 255 126 79th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 23 · Rank 2,687 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 19% 24% 21% 33rd HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 10% 19% 18% 12th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 19 · Rank 2,493 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 3% 3% 4% 19th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 72 · Rank 717 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 23% 26% 18% 74th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 21% 16% 16% 84th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 14% 18% 14% 53rd U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 15% 13% 8% 89th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Data compiled May 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS May 2026, QCEW 2024), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2026).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Safety Net & Buffer Primary driver 72
Weight 20% · Rank 717 of 3,144
Default & Legal 66
Weight 20% · Rank 887 of 3,144
Delinquency 48
Weight 20% · Rank 1,638 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 23
Weight 20% · Rank 2,687 of 3,144
Labor 19
Weight 20% · Rank 2,493 of 3,144

Methodology

The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.

Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.

For Press & Research

Everything you need to cite Fannin County data — in under 60 seconds.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
Draft wire copy 129-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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BLUE RIDGE, Ga. — Fannin County ranks 1,858th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

The composite score of 45.4 out of 100 gives Fannin a moderate-low county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,857 counties rank more distressed. Within Georgia, Fannin ranks 145th of 159 counties.

The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies safety net & buffer as the primary driver in Fannin. 15% of residents lack health insurance — above the national median of 8%.

American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Fannin County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Fannin County scores 45.4 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label moderate-low county distress. It ranks 1,858th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 145th of 159 Georgia counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Fannin County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer, at a domain score of 72. Uninsured rate ranks at the 89th percentile nationally.

How does Fannin County compare to its neighbors?

Fannin County's neighbors span 4 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Polk County, TN (62.44, moderate-high county distress). Lowest: Union County (39.29, low-moderate county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 13 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, HUD, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Two decades working directly with financially distressed American households — from property preservation in 2003, to negotiating over 1,000 short sales during the Great Recession, to foreclosure defense marketing today. Author, The Ark Law Group Complete Guide to Short Sales (Auroch Press, 2013). Founded American Default Research in 2026.

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