Lowndes County, Georgia
3× the national median for bankruptcy filing rate — and 57.4× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Glacier County, MT — 7).
Main Findings
Lowndes County, Georgia ranks 385th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: a bankruptcy filing rate of 419 — more than double the national median of 126. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
- 385th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 72.9 · high county distress, 46th in Georgia.
- A bankruptcy filing rate of 419 (U.S. median 126). Bankruptcy filing rate at the 97th percentile nationally. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Subprime credit share at 38% — national median 23%, ranked at the 93rd percentile. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025).
- Rent-to-income ratio at 26% — national median 21%, ranked at the 85th percentile. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Uninsured rate at 15% — national median 8%, ranked at the 88th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
Unemployment is 4%, near the national median of 4%, while subprime credit share runs at the 93rd percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 25-point drop to Echols County marks where the Georgia distress corridor ends.
Lowndes County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position.
The CDI gives this county a high county distress label. The rank belongs beside the score because the two answer different questions: score intensity and national position. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023), Lowndes County's disability rate indicator is at the 20th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 74th percentile. The gap stands out against uninsured rate. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Valdosta.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Lowndes County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Lowndes County's value shown alongside GA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Lowndes | GA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 82 · Rank 467 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 8% | 5% | 83rd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 8% | 5% | 71st | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 38% | 36% | 23% | 93rd | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 93 · Rank 84 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 37% | 36% | 23% | 89th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 419 | 255 | 126 | 97th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 80 · Rank 412 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 26% | 24% | 21% | 85th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 22% | 19% | 18% | 74th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 41 · Rank 1,779 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 3% | 4% | 41st | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 68 · Rank 877 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 23% | 26% | 18% | 74th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 12% | 16% | 16% | 20th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 20% | 18% | 14% | 84th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 15% | 13% | 8% | 88th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Lowndes County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 129-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
VALDOSTA, Ga. — Lowndes County ranks 385th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 72.9 out of 100 gives Lowndes a high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 384 counties rank more distressed. Within Georgia, Lowndes ranks 46th of 159 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies default & legal as the primary driver in Lowndes. A bankruptcy filing rate of 419 — more than double the national median of 126.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Lowndes County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Lowndes County's distress score?
How does Lowndes County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Lowndes County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →