About two in five people with a credit file in Jefferson County, Georgia, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Jefferson County, 44.2% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 93% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jefferson County's score
In Jefferson County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 88.5. Income and the safety net comes next, at 85.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jefferson 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.
Jefferson County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector44.2% · August 2025top 5%
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people230.5 · 202582nd percentile
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- 85.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.5% · 202491st percentile
- Children below the poverty line28.6% · 202489th percentile
- People with a disability17.0% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- People without health insurance17.0% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$44,800 · 2024top 5%
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- 85.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.7% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.1% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score58.5% · second quarter of 202694th percentile
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- 68.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202651st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.1% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
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- 64.6 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 rent16.3% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.8% · fiscal year 202790th 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, 18.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jefferson County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jefferson County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 38.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Jefferson County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 38.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.6% in 2010 to 21.5% in 2011.
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 15.9% 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, Jefferson County, Georgia.
How Jefferson County has changed
Jefferson County's population had its largest drop, from 17,067 in 2009 to 16,302 in 2014.
Jefferson County's population fell 12% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 18,259 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jefferson County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson County had its largest drop, from 6,284 in 1995 to 5,598 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 6,284 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jefferson County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.9% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 27.9% | 2024 21.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,523 | 2024 $44,800 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Jefferson County's history
1796
Created February 20, 1796. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 22,602. The 2020 Census counted 15,709, 70% of the peak. Census Bureau
1972
A tornado in January 1972 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A tornado in March 1996 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in May 2008 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1966
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jefferson County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jefferson County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Jefferson County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jefferson County ranks 3rd of the nine; Johnson County is highest, at 43.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond County, GA | 98 | 19.0% | 31.5% |
| Burke County, GA | 97 | 24.2% | 33.2% |
| McDuffie County, GA | 96 | 19.6% | 34.6% |
| Washington County, GA | 95 | 25.1% | 33.4% |
| Jefferson County, GA | 93 | 21.5% | 38.1% |
| Warren County, GA | 91 | 24.6% | 41.7% |
| Emanuel County, GA | 88 | 22.1% | 35.3% |
| Johnson County, GA | 80 | 33.4% | 43.1% |
| Glascock County, GA | 61 | 16.4% | 33.8% |
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 Jefferson County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Jefferson County's poverty rate was 21.5% in 2024, 46th 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, Jefferson County ranks 33rd of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.