Jenkins County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Serious · 70.2 | 8,627 people · 30th most distressed in Georgia
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Jenkins County, GA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 70.2 — 205th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Georgia, it ranks 30th of 159 counties. Among its 4 neighboring counties, 3 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Jenkins County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 94.5 — worse than roughly 95% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 94.5
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 94
Child Poverty Rate 95
Community Vulnerability 89.8
Uninsured Rate 93
Disability Rate 87
Debt & Delinquency 88.3
Debt in Collections 95
Medical Debt 95
Student Loan Delinquency 85
Auto Loan Delinquency 86
Credit Card Delinquency 95
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 74
Housing Cost Burden 48.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 11
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 43
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 94
Homeownership Rate 5
Rent-to-Income Ratio 90
Employment & Wages 29.7
Unemployment Rate 16
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 53
Business Formation Rate 21

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Jenkins County compares to its 4 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Jenkins County
Jenkins County, GA 70.2 Serious —
Emanuel County, GA 70.3 Serious +0.1
Bulloch County, GA 66.6 Serious -3.6
Burke County, GA 66.2 Serious -4.0
Screven County, GA 66.0 Serious -4.2

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Jenkins County
Bullock County, AL 70.2 Serious 0.0
Liberty County, FL 70.2 Serious +0.0
Harmon County, OK 70.2 Serious +0.0
Costilla County, CO 70.1 Serious -0.1
Webster County, WV 70.3 Serious +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Jenkins County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Jenkins County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service 404-527-8700

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Jenkins County residents at no cost.

Atlanta Legal Aid Society 404-524-5811
Georgia Legal Services Program 1-888-257-4567
Georgia Legal Aid
State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service 404-527-8700

Self-Help Resources

Georgia Legal Aid — Housing Self-help guides for Georgia foreclosure process, rights, and defenses
DCA Georgia HAF Resources Assistance programs and housing counselor referrals

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Jenkins County, Georgia?

    Jenkins County has a County Distress Index score of 70.2 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 205th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 30th in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Jenkins County?

    The primary driver of distress in Jenkins County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 94.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Jenkins County compare to neighboring counties?

    Jenkins County (70.2) can be compared to its 4 neighboring counties: Emanuel County, GA (70.3); Bulloch County, GA (66.6); Burke County, GA (66.2).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Jenkins County?

    Jenkins County, Georgia has a population of approximately 8,627 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.