About one in three people in Johnson County, Georgia, lives below the poverty line
In Johnson County, 33.4% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Johnson County's score
In Johnson County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 88.6. Housing costs come next, at 85.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Johnson 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.
Johnson County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (3.6%, August 2025) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line33.4% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line32.7% · 202494th percentile
- People with a disability18.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- People without health insurance13.8% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$44,330 · 2024top 5%
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- 85.3 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 rent23.4% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.1% · fiscal year 202790th percentile
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- 70.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector32.5% · August 202580th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people150.8 · 202560th percentile
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- 66.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.6% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind13.6% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score52.0% · second quarter of 202684th percentile
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- 30.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202626th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.2% · 2020 to 202434th 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 Johnson 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 Johnson County, 20.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Johnson County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Johnson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 43.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Johnson County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 43.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Johnson County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2017 low, from 27.7% in 2016 to 21.4% in 2017.
The share of households in Johnson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2022 and has since fallen to 25.0%
Low on the chart: 21.4% in 2017. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Johnson County, Georgia.
How Johnson County has changed
Johnson County's population had its largest rise, from 8,551 in 1999 to 9,613 in 2004.
Johnson County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 9,990 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Johnson County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Johnson County had its largest drop, from 2,069 in 2005 to 1,657 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Johnson County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 44% since
High on the chart: 2,523 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Johnson County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.6% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 25.2% | 2024 33.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,190 | 2024 $44,330 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Johnson County's history
1858
Created by Georgia legislature on December 11, 1858, from parts of Emanuel, Laurens, and Washington counties. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 13,546. The 2020 Census counted 9,189, 68% of the peak. Census Bureau
2008
A tornado in May 2008 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in May 2008 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Johnson County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Johnson County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Johnson County score higher than it does. Of the group, Johnson County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (43.1%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilkinson County, GA | 96 | 20.6% | 36.8% |
| Washington County, GA | 95 | 25.1% | 33.4% |
| Jefferson County, GA | 93 | 21.5% | 38.1% |
| Laurens County, GA | 89 | 20.3% | 30.8% |
| Emanuel County, GA | 88 | 22.1% | 35.3% |
| Johnson County, GA | 80 | 33.4% | 43.1% |
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 Johnson County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Johnson County's poverty rate was 33.4% in 2024, 3rd 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, Johnson County ranks 82nd of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Johnson 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 Johnson 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 Johnson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.