About one in three people with a credit file in Gordon County, Georgia, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Gordon County, 33.1% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Gordon County's score
In Gordon County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 84.7. Bankruptcy filings ran at 269.4 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 87% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 74.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Gordon 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.
Gordon County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.1%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and people with a disability (13.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.1% · August 202582nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people269.4 · 202587th percentile
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- 74.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.8% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.7% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.7% · second quarter of 202671st percentile
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- 51.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.1% · 202440th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.3% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability13.2% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- People without health insurance15.4% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,631 · 202459th percentile
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- 45.1 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 rent19.4% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.1% · fiscal year 202732nd percentile
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- 44.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202616th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.6% · 2020 to 202471st 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 Gordon 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 Gordon County, 15.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Gordon County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Gordon County had its largest rise, from 16.6% in 2004 to 23.7% in 2009.
In Gordon County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 23.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Gordon County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Gordon County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.6% in 2011 to 12.0% in 2012.
The share of households in Gordon County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 10.2%
Low on the chart: 7.3% 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, Gordon County, Georgia.
How Gordon County has changed
Gordon County's population had its largest rise, from 43,354 in 1999 to 49,426 in 2004.
Gordon County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 60,765, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 55,387. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Gordon County, Georgia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Gordon County rose by about half to 25,007, the highest on the chart
Biggest drop: 2005 to 2010, reaching 19,085. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Gordon County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.6% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.4% | 2024 12.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,916 | 2024 $63,631 |
The table uses 3.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Gordon County's history
1850
Created February 13, 1850 from portions of Cass (later renamed Bartow) and Floyd counties. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A thunderstorm in May 2002 did $11.65 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Hail in April 2011 did $1.58 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A tornado in January 2013 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 57,544, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Gordon County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Gordon County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Gordon County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Gordon County ranks 5th of the eight; Gilmer County is highest, at 31.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Floyd County, GA | 80 | 14.9% | 29.3% |
| Murray County, GA | 76 | 15.7% | 29.9% |
| Walker County, GA | 75 | 12.8% | 30.8% |
| Whitfield County, GA | 69 | 14.4% | 22.9% |
| Gordon County, GA | 67 | 12.1% | 23.8% |
| Bartow County, GA | 64 | 10.7% | 21.4% |
| Pickens County, GA | 49 | 9.2% | 23.8% |
| Gilmer County, GA | 39 | 14.4% | 31.3% |
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 Gordon County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Gordon County's poverty rate was 12.1% in 2024, 120th 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, Gordon County ranks 112th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Gordon 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 Gordon 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 Gordon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.