Macon County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Serious · 73.6 | 11,817 people · 15th most distressed in Georgia
American Default Research

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Macon County, GA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 73.6 — 90th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Georgia, it ranks 15th of 159 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 6 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Macon County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 94.8 — worse than roughly 95% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 94.8
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 85.0
Debt in Collections 95
Medical Debt 86
Student Loan Delinquency 85
Auto Loan Delinquency 91
Credit Card Delinquency 87
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 67
Community Vulnerability 83.9
Uninsured Rate 95
Disability Rate 73
Housing Cost Burden 62.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 29
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 38
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 62
Homeownership Rate 92
Rent-to-Income Ratio 91
Employment & Wages 41.7
Unemployment Rate 72
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 16
Business Formation Rate 37

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Macon County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Macon County
Macon County, GA 73.6 Serious —
Sumter County, GA 73.9 Serious +0.3
Taylor County, GA 72.4 Serious -1.2
Dooly County, GA 64.7 Elevated -8.9
Crawford County, GA 64.6 Elevated -9.0
Peach County, GA 61.9 Elevated -11.7
Schley County, GA 53.3 Elevated -20.2
Houston County, GA 52.8 Elevated -20.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Macon County
Red River County, TX 73.5 Serious -0.0
Leflore County, MS 73.6 Serious +0.1
Hopewell city, VA 73.4 Serious -0.2
Avoyelles Parish, LA 73.3 Serious -0.2
Baldwin County, GA 73.3 Serious -0.3

Download Data

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

Find Help in Macon 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 Macon 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 Macon County, Georgia?

    Macon County has a County Distress Index score of 73.6 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 90th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 15th in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Macon County?

    The primary driver of distress in Macon County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 94.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Macon County compare to neighboring counties?

    Macon County (73.6) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Sumter County, GA (73.9); Taylor County, GA (72.4); Dooly County, GA (64.7).

  • 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 Macon County?

    Macon County, Georgia has a population of approximately 11,817 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.