In Lumpkin County, Georgia, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Lumpkin County, 17.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 86% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lumpkin County's score
In Lumpkin County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 60.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 36.9. Unemployment averaged 3.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 76% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lumpkin 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.
Even so, Lumpkin County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (27.8%, 2020 to 2024) and people without health insurance (11.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 60.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.5% · August 202555th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people167.3 · 202565th percentile
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- 53.6 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 rent27.8% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.0% · fiscal year 202713th percentile
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- 41.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.0% · 202448th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.3% · 202429th percentile
- People with a disability14.1% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- People without health insurance11.8% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,922 · 202419th percentile
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- 40.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.0% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.0% · second quarter of 202637th percentile
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- 36.9 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 202623rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.8% · 2020 to 202450th 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 Lumpkin 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 Lumpkin County, 18.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lumpkin County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Lumpkin County had its largest rise, from 15.6% in 2004 to 22.1% in 2009.
In Lumpkin County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 24.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Lumpkin County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lumpkin County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.8% in 2012 to 15.1% in 2013.
The share of households in Lumpkin County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 9.2%
Low on the chart: 6.8% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lumpkin County, Georgia.
How Lumpkin County has changed
Lumpkin County's population had its largest rise, from 24,916 in 2004 to 29,723 in 2009.
Lumpkin County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 36,016, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 10,559. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lumpkin County, Georgia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Lumpkin County more than doubled to 8,806, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 8,806. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lumpkin County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.0% | 2024 13.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,365 | 2024 $80,922 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Lumpkin County's history
1830
In the 1830s, gold was discovered in Lumpkin County near Auraria, leading to a rush of miners and development. Wikipedia
1832
Created December 3, 1832. Wikipedia
1838
The U.S. government established a mint in Dahlonega, operating for 23 years until the outbreak of the American Civil War. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
A tornado in November 1992 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 33,488, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1974
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lumpkin County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lumpkin County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Lumpkin County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lumpkin County ranks 4th of the six; Union County is highest, at 38.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hall County, GA | 51 | 10.1% | 17.7% |
| Fannin County, GA | 50 | 13.9% | 32.0% |
| White County, GA | 46 | 10.8% | 29.0% |
| Lumpkin County, GA | 43 | 13.0% | 24.6% |
| Union County, GA | 33 | 11.4% | 38.1% |
| Dawson County, GA | 28 | 8.0% | 17.9% |
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 Lumpkin County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Lumpkin County's poverty rate was 13.0% in 2024, 114th 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, Lumpkin County ranks 143rd of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lumpkin 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 Lumpkin 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 Lumpkin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.