Fulton County, Georgia
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Fulton County. Population: 1,079,105 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Fulton County, GA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 49.5 — 1631st nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Georgia, it ranks 135th of 159 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 10 neighboring counties.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Fulton County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Housing Cost Burden
Primary DriverDebt & Delinquency
Community Vulnerability
Income & Poverty
Employment & Wages
How Fulton County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton County, GA | 49.5 | Normal | — |
| Clayton County, GA | 71.5 | Serious Stress | +22.0 |
| Carroll County, GA | 61.3 | Elevated | +11.9 |
| DeKalb County, GA | 59.0 | Elevated | +9.5 |
| Douglas County, GA | 58.3 | Elevated | +8.8 |
| Gwinnett County, GA | 52.8 | Elevated | +3.3 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento County, CA | 49.6 | Normal | +0.1 |
| Maricopa County, AZ | 50.1 | Elevated | +0.6 |
| Cook County, IL | 50.8 | Elevated | +1.3 |
| Franklin County, OH | 51.8 | Elevated | +2.3 |
| San Diego County, CA | 46.3 | Normal | -3.1 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Fulton County as a CSV file.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Fulton County, Georgia?
Fulton County has a County Distress Index score of 49.5 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 1,631st nationally out of 3,144 counties and 135th in Georgia out of 159 counties.
What drives financial distress in Fulton County?
The primary driver of distress in Fulton County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 82.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Fulton County compare to neighboring counties?
Fulton County (49.5) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Clayton County, GA (71.5); Carroll County, GA (61.3); DeKalb County, GA (59.0).
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 Fulton County?
Fulton County, Georgia has a population of approximately 1,079,105 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.