In Jackson County, Georgia, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Jackson County, 15.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jackson County's score
In Jackson County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 73.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 23.7. Unemployment averaged 3.1%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jackson 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.
Even so, Jackson County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (296.8, 2025) and people without health insurance (11.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 73.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.9% · August 202556th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people296.8 · 202590th percentile
-
- 49.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.0% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.9% · second quarter of 202641st percentile
-
- 27.7 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 rent18.1% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.7% · fiscal year 20275th percentile
-
- 26.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.3% · 202410th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.9% · 202412th percentile
- People with a disability12.9% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- People without health insurance11.6% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$92,131 · 20249th percentile
-
- 23.7 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 202614th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.9% · 2020 to 202432nd 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County, 14.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jackson County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jackson County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 19.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Jackson County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Jackson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen by about half
Biggest drop: 2019 to 2020, reaching 9.4%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jackson County, Georgia.
How Jackson County has changed
Jackson County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 73,449 in 2019 to 93,825 in 2024.
Jackson County's population rose 347% from 1969 to 2024, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 26,821. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jackson County, Georgia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Jackson County grew to about five times its 1990 size, reaching 43,619, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 43,619. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jackson County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.1% | 2024 8.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,847 | 2024 $92,131 |
The table uses 3.0% 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 Jackson County's history
1796
Split off from part of Franklin County, Georgia on February 11, 1796. Wikipedia
1985
A tornado in August 1985 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Hail in March 2008 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A thunderstorm in March 2017 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 75,907, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1976
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jackson County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jackson County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Jackson County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jackson County ranks 5th of the six; Madison County is highest, at 25.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarke County, GA | 77 | 23.5% | 20.6% |
| Madison County, GA | 66 | 11.8% | 25.2% |
| Barrow County, GA | 57 | 8.6% | 20.0% |
| Hall County, GA | 51 | 10.1% | 17.7% |
| Banks County, GA | 41 | 9.5% | 21.8% |
| Jackson County, GA | 33 | 8.3% | 19.9% |
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 Jackson County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Jackson County's poverty rate was 8.3% in 2024, 148th 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, Jackson County ranks 152nd of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jackson 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.
-
Georgia Legal Services Program
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 Jackson 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 Jackson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.