Unemployment in Gilmer County, Georgia, is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties
In Gilmer County, 2.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Gilmer County's score
In Gilmer County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 67.7. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 25.2. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 18.0% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), lower than in 78% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Gilmer 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, Gilmer County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (14.6%, 2020 to 2024) and children below the poverty line (23.0%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 67.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.4% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.0% · 202475th percentile
- People with a disability18.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- People without health insurance14.6% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,729 · 202441st percentile
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- 61.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.4% · August 202547th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people200.9 · 202575th percentile
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- 34.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202610th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.0% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
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- 32.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.5% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202525th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.7% · second quarter of 202640th percentile
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- 25.2 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 rent14.4% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.0% · fiscal year 202721st 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 Gilmer 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 Gilmer County, 27.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Gilmer County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Gilmer County had its largest rise, from 21.2% in 2004 to 28.8% in 2009.
In Gilmer County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 31.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Gilmer County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Gilmer County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.6% in 2010 to 11.4% in 2011.
The share of households in Gilmer County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 9.6%
Low on the chart: 6.9% 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, Gilmer County, Georgia.
How Gilmer County has changed
Gilmer County's population had its largest rise, from 16,141 in 1994 to 22,357 in 1999.
Gilmer County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 33,327, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 28,764. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Gilmer County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Gilmer County made its largest gain on the way to its 2005 high, from 7,010 in 2000 to 8,454 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Gilmer County nearly doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 8,305
High on the chart: 8,454 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Gilmer County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.3% | 2024 14.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,563 | 2024 $69,729 |
The table uses 3.0% for 2025; the score uses 2.9% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Gilmer County's history
1832
Organized in 1832 as Georgia encroached on Cherokee territory. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
Lightning in August 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A flash flood in September 2004 did $2.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A thunderstorm in July 2012 did $1.75 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 31,353, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1974
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Gilmer County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Gilmer County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Gilmer County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Gilmer County ranks 2nd of the six; Fannin County is highest, at 32.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murray County, GA | 76 | 15.7% | 29.9% |
| Gordon County, GA | 67 | 12.1% | 23.8% |
| Fannin County, GA | 50 | 13.9% | 32.0% |
| Pickens County, GA | 49 | 9.2% | 23.8% |
| Gilmer County, GA | 39 | 14.4% | 31.3% |
| Dawson County, GA | 28 | 8.0% | 17.9% |
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 Gilmer County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Gilmer County's poverty rate was 14.4% in 2024, 98th 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, Gilmer County ranks 148th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Gilmer 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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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 Gilmer 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 Gilmer County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.