In Gwinnett County, Georgia, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Gwinnett County, 23.6% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 75% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Gwinnett County's score
In Gwinnett County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 86.1. About three in ten renters (30.0%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 97% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 72.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Gwinnett 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.
Gwinnett County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (8.9%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($89,709, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 86.1 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent30.0% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.6% · fiscal year 202775th percentile
-
- 72.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.3% · August 202557th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people255.4 · 202586th percentile
-
- 69.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.4% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.2% · August 202576th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.7% · second quarter of 202652nd percentile
-
- 32.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.4% · 202425th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.1% · 202434th percentile
- People with a disability8.9% · 2020 to 20241st percentile
- People without health insurance15.2% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$89,709 · 202411th percentile
-
- 27.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202618th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
-
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 Gwinnett 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 Gwinnett County, 11.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Gwinnett County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Gwinnett County had its largest rise, from 6.9% in 2004 to 12.0% in 2009.
In Gwinnett County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 16.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Gwinnett County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Gwinnett County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.8% in 2011 to 9.0% in 2012.
The share of households in Gwinnett County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 4.1% 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, Gwinnett County, Georgia.
How Gwinnett County has changed
Gwinnett County's population had its largest rise, from 441,474 in 1994 to 567,569 in 1999.
Gwinnett County's population grew to more than ten times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 1,003,869, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 110,801. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Gwinnett County, Georgia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Gwinnett County tripled to 390,169, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 283,386. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Gwinnett County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.1% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 3.6% | 2024 10.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $42,544 | 2024 $89,709 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Gwinnett County's history
1818
Created in 1818 from parts of Jackson County and lands ceded by Creek Indian treaty. Wikipedia
1994
A tornado in June 1994 did $5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A tornado in April 1998 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
Lightning in June 2004 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in September 2009 did $12.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 957,062, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1977
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Gwinnett County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Gwinnett County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Gwinnett County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Gwinnett County ranks 5th of the eight; Rockdale County is highest, at 26.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockdale County, GA | 89 | 11.8% | 26.4% |
| DeKalb County, GA | 81 | 12.7% | 14.9% |
| Walton County, GA | 68 | 9.8% | 19.3% |
| Gwinnett County, GA | 61 | 10.4% | 16.1% |
| Fulton County, GA | 61 | 11.3% | 8.9% |
| Barrow County, GA | 57 | 8.6% | 20.0% |
| Hall County, GA | 51 | 10.1% | 17.7% |
| Forsyth County, GA | 4 | 4.5% | 8.2% |
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 Gwinnett County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Gwinnett County's poverty rate was 10.4% in 2024, 137th 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, Gwinnett County ranks 121st of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Gwinnett 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.
-
Atlanta Legal Aid Society
Legal aid
-
Georgia Legal Aid
Legal help website
-
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 Gwinnett 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 Gwinnett County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.