Gwinnett County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Elevated · 52.8 | 983,526 people · 125th most distressed in Georgia
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Gwinnett County, GA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 52.8 — 1389th 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 125th of 159 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 8 neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Gwinnett County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 88.9 — worse than roughly 89% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 88.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 99
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 96
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 84
Homeownership Rate 81
Rent-to-Income Ratio 85
Debt & Delinquency 67.0
Debt in Collections 58
Medical Debt 39
Student Loan Delinquency 64
Auto Loan Delinquency 76
Credit Card Delinquency 78
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 86
Community Vulnerability 45.5
Uninsured Rate 89
Disability Rate 2
Employment & Wages 38.4
Unemployment Rate 27
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 87
Business Formation Rate 1
Income & Poverty 24.2
Poverty Rate 32
Income vs. State Median 4
Child Poverty Rate 37

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Gwinnett County compares to its 8 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Gwinnett County
Gwinnett County, GA 52.8 Elevated —
Rockdale County, GA 64.4 Elevated +11.6
DeKalb County, GA 59.0 Elevated +6.2
Barrow County, GA 54.0 Elevated +1.2
Walton County, GA 52.9 Elevated +0.1
Fulton County, GA 49.5 Normal -3.3
Hall County, GA 49.3 Normal -3.5
Jackson County, GA 39.3 Normal -13.5
Forsyth County, GA 24.8 Healthy -28.0

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Gwinnett County
Bernalillo County, NM 52.8 Elevated -0.0
Jackson County, MO 52.9 Elevated +0.1
Forsyth County, NC 53.0 Elevated +0.2
Union County, NJ 52.5 Elevated -0.3
Lehigh County, PA 52.3 Elevated -0.5

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Gwinnett County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Gwinnett County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service 404-527-8700

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Gwinnett County residents at no cost.

Atlanta Legal Aid Society 404-524-5811
Georgia Legal Services Program 1-888-257-4567
Georgia Legal Aid
State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service 404-527-8700

Self-Help Resources

Georgia Legal Aid — Housing Self-help guides for Georgia foreclosure process, rights, and defenses
DCA Georgia HAF Resources Assistance programs and housing counselor referrals

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Gwinnett County, Georgia?

    Gwinnett County has a County Distress Index score of 52.8 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,389th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 125th in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Gwinnett County?

    The primary driver of distress in Gwinnett County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 88.9 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Gwinnett County compare to neighboring counties?

    Gwinnett County (52.8) can be compared to its 8 neighboring counties: Rockdale County, GA (64.4); DeKalb County, GA (59.0); Barrow County, GA (54.0).

  • 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 Gwinnett County?

    Gwinnett County, Georgia has a population of approximately 983,526 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a large county.