About two in five people with a credit file in Liberty County, Georgia, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Liberty County, 43.1% 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 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Liberty County's score
In Liberty County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 92.9. Late payments on loans come next, at 87.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Liberty 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.
Liberty County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (15.4%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (4.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector43.1% · August 202597th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people276 · 202588th percentile
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- 87.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind11.1% · August 202597th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.4% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score54.1% · second quarter of 202688th percentile
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- 75.0 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 rent19.7% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.0% · fiscal year 202790th percentile
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- 65.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.0% · 202470th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.3% · 202476th percentile
- People with a disability15.4% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- People without health insurance10.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,123 · 202463rd percentile
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- 61.0 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 202648th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.0% · 2020 to 202473rd 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 Liberty 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 Liberty County, 10.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Liberty County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Liberty County had its largest rise in the last span, from 24.0% in 2019 to 28.4% in 2024.
In Liberty County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 28.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Liberty County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 28.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Liberty County getting SNAP food aid made its largest gain on the way to its 2021 high, from 13.8% in 2020 to 16.5% in 2021.
The share of households in Liberty County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 16.0%
High on the chart: 16.5% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Liberty County, Georgia.
How Liberty County has changed
Liberty County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size, reaching 68,607, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 34,976. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Liberty County, Georgia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Liberty County doubled to 19,848, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 14,245. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Liberty County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.7% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.1% | 2024 16.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,953 | 2024 $62,123 |
The table uses 3.9% 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 Liberty County's history
1777
On February 5, 1777, the parishes of Saint John's, Saint Andrew's and Saint James' were consolidated and named Liberty County. Wikipedia
1998
A tornado in April 1998 did $38 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
Lightning in July 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
Hail in June 2012 did $8,750,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A tornado in February 2016 did $5.08 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 65,256, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Liberty County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Liberty County beside its neighbors
Liberty County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Liberty County ranks 4th of the six; McIntosh County is highest, at 34.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty County, GA | 91 | 16.0% | 28.4% |
| Evans County, GA | 90 | 22.6% | 30.5% |
| McIntosh County, GA | 89 | 16.5% | 34.3% |
| Tattnall County, GA | 80 | 24.1% | 30.4% |
| Long County, GA | 70 | 13.8% | 26.9% |
| Bryan County, GA | 29 | 7.5% | 17.5% |
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 Liberty County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Liberty County's poverty rate was 16.0% in 2024, 90th 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, Liberty County ranks 39th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Liberty 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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Jcvision and Associates, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Liberty 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 Liberty County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.