About one in 17 people in Fayette County, Georgia, lives below the poverty line
In Fayette County, 5.8% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Fayette County's score
In Fayette County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 60.0. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 16.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Fayette 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, Fayette County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (27.7%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (230.2, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 60.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.0% · August 202537th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people230.2 · 202581st percentile
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- 57.3 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 rent27.7% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.0% · fiscal year 202721st percentile
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- 42.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202539th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.2% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.5% · second quarter of 202623rd percentile
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- 29.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202621st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
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- 16.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line5.8% · 20241st percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.1% · 20243rd percentile
- People with a disability12.4% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- People without health insurance8.6% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$117,563 · 20242nd 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 Fayette 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 Fayette County, 20.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Fayette County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Fayette County had its largest rise, from 7.8% in 2004 to 11.8% in 2009.
In Fayette County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 15.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Fayette County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Fayette County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 3.3% in 2010 to 4.2% in 2011.
The share of households in Fayette County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 2.5% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Fayette County, Georgia.
How Fayette County has changed
Fayette County's population had its largest rise, from 40,034 in 1984 to 59,614 in 1989.
Fayette County's population grew to more than ten times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 125,107, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 110,781. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Fayette County, Georgia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Fayette County more than doubled to 48,483, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 32,965. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Fayette County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.2% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 2.7% | 2024 5.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $50,533 | 2024 $117,563 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Fayette County's history
1821
Created May 15, 1821 from territory ceded to United States by Creek people. Wikipedia
1920
Fayetteville emerged as the only area with significant commercial activity, until about 1920. New Georgia Encyclopedia
2005
A flash flood in July 2005 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Hail in February 2009 did $8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
Lightning in July 2012 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Hail in March 2013 did $4.33 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 119,194, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Fayette County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Fayette County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Fayette County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Fayette County ranks 4th of the five; Spalding County is highest, at 31.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clayton County, GA | 98 | 17.4% | 27.8% |
| Spalding County, GA | 95 | 16.4% | 31.6% |
| Fulton County, GA | 61 | 11.3% | 8.9% |
| Coweta County, GA | 41 | 7.3% | 16.6% |
| Fayette County, GA | 34 | 5.8% | 15.5% |
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 Fayette County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Fayette County's poverty rate was 5.8% in 2024, 157th 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, Fayette County ranks 150th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Fayette 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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Veterans Center
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Fayette 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 Fayette County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.