About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Madison County, Georgia, is not working
In Madison County, 24.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 69% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Madison County's score
In Madison County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 72.0. Bankruptcy filings ran at 201.9 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 75% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 70.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Madison 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.
Madison County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.1%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and people below the poverty line (11.8%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.2% · August 202568th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people201.9 · 202575th percentile
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- 70.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.2% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.3% · second quarter of 202661st percentile
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- 56.8 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 rent17.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.5% · fiscal year 202767th percentile
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- 55.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.8% · 202438th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.3% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability17.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance15.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,602 · 202444th percentile
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- 43.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202616th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.2% · 2020 to 202469th 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 Madison 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 Madison County, 18.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Madison County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Madison County had its largest rise, from 17.5% in 2004 to 25.1% in 2009.
In Madison County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 25.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Madison County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.9% in 2020 to 15.0% in 2021.
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2021 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 10.5% 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, Madison County, Georgia.
How Madison County has changed
Madison County's population more than doubled to 32,771, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 18,742. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Madison County, Georgia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Madison County doubled to 4,233, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 3,586. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Madison County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.8% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.1% | 2024 11.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,781 | 2024 $68,602 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Madison County's history
1865
Just after the Civil War ended, the demand for a cash crop led to major reliance on cotton. The soils of Madison County were heavily damaged by this cotton monoculture. From the 1930s on, agriculture became more diverse. Wikipedia
2004
A tornado in September 2004 did $1.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 30,120, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Madison County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Madison County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Madison County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Madison County ranks 4th of the eight; Elbert County is highest, at 35.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elbert County, GA | 82 | 17.7% | 35.4% |
| Clarke County, GA | 77 | 23.5% | 20.6% |
| Franklin County, GA | 73 | 15.2% | 29.1% |
| Madison County, GA | 66 | 11.8% | 25.2% |
| Hart County, GA | 57 | 13.7% | 28.9% |
| Oglethorpe County, GA | 57 | 12.2% | 22.6% |
| Banks County, GA | 41 | 9.5% | 21.8% |
| Jackson County, GA | 33 | 8.3% | 19.9% |
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 Madison County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Madison County's poverty rate was 11.8% in 2024, 123rd 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, Madison County ranks 113th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Madison 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 Madison 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 Madison County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.