About two in five people with a credit file in Henry County, Georgia, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Henry County, 38.4% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives Henry County's score
In Henry County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 95.6. Bankruptcy filings ran at 566.7 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 99% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 91.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Henry 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.
Henry County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (11.1%, 2020 to 2024) and people below the poverty line (8.2%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 95.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector38.4% · August 202592nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people566.7 · 202599th percentile
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- 91.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind11.6% · August 202597th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.1% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score52.4% · second quarter of 202684th percentile
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- 82.5 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 rent25.8% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.7% · fiscal year 202776th percentile
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- 40.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202641st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.1% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
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- 24.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.2% · 20249th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.5% · 202425th percentile
- People with a disability11.1% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance9.8% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$89,273 · 202411th 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 Henry 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 Henry County, 12.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Henry County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Henry County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 21.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Henry County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Henry County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.8% in 2011 to 9.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Henry County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 5.8% 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, Henry County, Georgia.
How Henry County has changed
Henry County's population had its largest rise, from 113,011 in 1999 to 159,971 in 2004.
Henry County's population grew to more than ten times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 259,315, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 34,434. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Henry County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Henry County had its largest rise, from 20,129 in 1995 to 31,474 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Henry County grew to about six times its 1990 size in 2025, reaching 75,454, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 47,702. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Henry County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.5% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.6% | 2024 8.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $35,365 | 2024 $89,273 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Henry County's history
1861
From the 1840s until the Civil War (1861-65), a number of new towns were built expressly to accommodate the need for depots by the Monroe Railroad and the Georgia Railroad. New Georgia Encyclopedia
1920
The economy continued to grow vigorously until 1920, when the invasion of the boll weevil brought it crashing to a stop. New Georgia Encyclopedia
1941
Five years later, a terrible drought caused an economic downturn that lasted until the beginning of the World War II (1941-45), adding to the county’s woes. New Georgia Encyclopedia
1990
A thunderstorm in February 1990 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A tornado in July 2005 did $70 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Lightning in June 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Hail in March 2013 did $9.43 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 240,712, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Henry County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Henry County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Henry County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Henry County ranks 6th of the seven; Spalding County is highest, at 31.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clayton County, GA | 98 | 17.4% | 27.8% |
| Spalding County, GA | 95 | 16.4% | 31.6% |
| Newton County, GA | 90 | 11.9% | 25.2% |
| Rockdale County, GA | 89 | 11.8% | 26.4% |
| DeKalb County, GA | 81 | 12.7% | 14.9% |
| Henry County, GA | 78 | 8.2% | 21.0% |
| Butts County, GA | 66 | 13.4% | 28.7% |
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 Henry County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Henry County's poverty rate was 8.2% in 2024, 149th 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, Henry County ranks 93rd of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Henry 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.
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 Henry County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.