About one in three people with a credit file in Haralson County, Georgia, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Haralson County, 34.5% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 84% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives Haralson County's score
In Haralson County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 85.3. Bankruptcy filings ran at 252.8 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 85% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 78.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Haralson 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.
Haralson County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.2%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.7%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.5% · August 202584th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people252.8 · 202585th percentile
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- 78.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.9% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.4% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.2% · second quarter of 202675th percentile
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- 55.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.7% · 202454th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.1% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability15.9% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- People without health insurance11.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,544 · 202453rd percentile
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- 37.6 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 rent17.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.7% · fiscal year 202728th percentile
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- 36.3 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 working21.4% · 2020 to 202453rd 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 Haralson 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 Haralson County, 15.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Haralson County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Haralson County had its largest rise, from 22.1% in 2004 to 27.8% in 2009.
In Haralson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 27.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Haralson County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Haralson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.2% in 2010 to 16.2% in 2011.
The share of households in Haralson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 11.1% 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, Haralson County, Georgia.
How Haralson County has changed
Haralson County's population doubled to 32,404, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 32,404. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Haralson County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Haralson County had its largest rise in the last span, from 6,661 in 2020 to 8,149 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Haralson County fell to its lowest on the chart in 1995, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 5,863 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Haralson County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.8% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.1% | 2024 13.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,675 | 2024 $65,544 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Haralson County's history
1856
Created on January 26, 1856. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1974
A tornado in November 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A flash flood in May 2003 did $1.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 29,919, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1974
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Haralson County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Haralson County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Haralson County, in Georgia and Alabama, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Haralson County ranks 3rd of the five; Polk County is highest, at 32.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll County, GA | 85 | 13.3% | 22.9% |
| Polk County, GA | 85 | 15.3% | 32.1% |
| Haralson County, GA | 63 | 13.7% | 27.6% |
| Cleburne County, AL | 58 | 14.0% | 28.5% |
| Paulding County, GA | 54 | 6.6% | 16.5% |
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 Haralson County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Haralson County's poverty rate was 13.7% in 2024, 106th 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, Haralson County ranks 119th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Haralson 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 Haralson 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 Haralson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.