About one in five people in Marion County, Georgia, lives below the poverty line
In Marion County, 22.1% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Marion County's score
In Marion County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 90.0. About one in three children (32.9%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a higher share than in 94% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 89.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Marion 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.
Marion County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (12.0%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line22.1% · 202492nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line32.9% · 202494th percentile
- People with a disability20.7% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- People without health insurance17.3% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,304 · 202485th percentile
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- 89.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind10.4% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.2% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score54.3% · second quarter of 202688th percentile
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- 89.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector37.1% · August 202589th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people282.3 · 202589th percentile
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- 55.2 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 rent12.0% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.3% · fiscal year 202791st percentile
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- 48.1 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 202627th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.1% · 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 Marion 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 Marion County, 21.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Marion County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Marion County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 37% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Marion County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Marion County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 21.4% in 2011 to 30.2% in 2012.
The share of households in Marion County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 21.5%
Low on the chart: 18.2% 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, Marion County, Georgia.
How Marion County has changed
Marion County's population had its largest rise, from 7,637 in 2004 to 8,561 in 2009.
Marion County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 8,561 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Marion County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Marion County had its largest rise, from 1,409 in 1990 to 2,446 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Marion County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about half
High on the chart: 2,646 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Marion County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.6% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 28.0% | 2024 22.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,560 | 2024 $53,304 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Marion County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 10,080. The 2020 Census counted 7,498, 74% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Marion County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Marion County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Marion County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Marion County ranks 5th of the eight; Webster County is highest, at 42.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talbot County, GA | 99 | 22.0% | 39.7% |
| Sumter County, GA | 97 | 27.6% | 34.5% |
| Taylor County, GA | 94 | 25.1% | 36.3% |
| Stewart County, GA | 91 | 30.6% | 38.4% |
| Marion County, GA | 89 | 22.1% | 36.1% |
| Webster County, GA | 86 | 19.7% | 42.0% |
| Schley County, GA | 67 | 15.4% | 26.2% |
| Chattahoochee County, GA | 67 | 17.8% | 15.5% |
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 Marion County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Marion County's poverty rate was 22.1% in 2024, 41st 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, Marion County ranks 50th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Marion 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 Marion 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 Marion County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.