Laurens County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Elevated · 62.4 | 49,941 people · 88th most distressed in Georgia
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Laurens County, GA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 62.4 — 660th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Debt & Delinquency, where residents carry heavy debt burdens with elevated delinquency and collections rates. Within Georgia, it ranks 88th of 159 counties. Among its 8 neighboring counties, 6 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Laurens County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 88.1 — worse than roughly 88% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 88.1
Debt in Collections 89
Medical Debt 86
Student Loan Delinquency 92
Auto Loan Delinquency 94
Credit Card Delinquency 92
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 75
Income & Poverty 71.1
Poverty Rate 83
Income vs. State Median 41
Child Poverty Rate 89
Community Vulnerability 68.0
Uninsured Rate 81
Disability Rate 55
Housing Cost Burden 58.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 70
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 78
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 14
Homeownership Rate 84
Rent-to-Income Ratio 45
Employment & Wages 26.6
Unemployment Rate 45
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 23
Business Formation Rate 11

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Laurens County compares to its 8 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Laurens County
Laurens County, GA 62.4 Elevated —
Emanuel County, GA 70.3 Serious +7.9
Dodge County, GA 69.7 Serious +7.2
Treutlen County, GA 69.6 Serious +7.2
Twiggs County, GA 67.2 Serious +4.8
Johnson County, GA 64.2 Elevated +1.7
Wheeler County, GA 63.4 Elevated +1.0
Wilkinson County, GA 62.4 Elevated -0.0
Bleckley County, GA 61.3 Elevated -1.2

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Laurens County
Curry County, OR 62.4 Elevated -0.0
Clark County, AR 62.4 Elevated -0.0
Pike County, AL 62.5 Elevated +0.0
Winn Parish, LA 62.5 Elevated +0.0
Morgan County, TN 62.4 Elevated -0.0

Download Data

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

Find Help in Laurens 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 Laurens 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 Laurens County, Georgia?

    Laurens County has a County Distress Index score of 62.4 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 660th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 88th in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Laurens County?

    The primary driver of distress in Laurens County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 88.1 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Laurens County compare to neighboring counties?

    Laurens County (62.4) can be compared to its 8 neighboring counties: Emanuel County, GA (70.3); Dodge County, GA (69.7); Treutlen County, GA (69.6).

  • 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 Laurens County?

    Laurens County, Georgia has a population of approximately 49,941 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.