In McDuffie County, Georgia, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In McDuffie County, 29.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 96% of U.S. counties.
What drives McDuffie County's score
In McDuffie County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 93.5. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 90.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in McDuffie 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.
McDuffie County does better than most counties on one measure: people with a disability (13.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.5 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent26.4% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.7% · fiscal year 202796th percentile
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- 90.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector38.4% · August 202592nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people284.4 · 202589th percentile
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- 86.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.5% · August 202579th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.8% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score54.3% · second quarter of 202688th percentile
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- 70.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.6% · 202486th percentile
- Children below the poverty line29.3% · 202490th percentile
- People with a disability13.6% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- People without health insurance9.6% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,781 · 202484th percentile
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- 66.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202657th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.4% · 2020 to 202475th 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 McDuffie 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 McDuffie County, 19.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
McDuffie County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In McDuffie County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 34.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In McDuffie County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 34.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in McDuffie County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 21.5% in 2019 to 17.7% in 2020.
The share of households in McDuffie County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 15.1% 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, McDuffie County, Georgia.
How McDuffie County has changed
McDuffie County's population had its largest rise, from 14,846 in 1969 to 16,725 in 1974.
McDuffie County's population rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21,764
High on the chart: 21,836 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, McDuffie County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in McDuffie County had its largest drop, from 7,962 in 2005 to 6,822 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in McDuffie County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 16% since
High on the chart: 8,444 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, McDuffie County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.4% | 2024 19.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,322 | 2024 $53,781 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in McDuffie County's history
1870
The county was created on October 18, 1870. Wikipedia
1880
By 1880, 64 percent of the county’s 9,449 residents were African American. New Georgia Encyclopedia
1950
While agrarian culture has changed radically since 1950, historical and natural resources continue to define twenty-first-century McDuffie County. New Georgia Encyclopedia
1955
A tornado in May 1955 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A thunderstorm in April 1997 did $2.75 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 21,875. The 2020 Census counted 21,632, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered McDuffie County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
McDuffie County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border McDuffie County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, McDuffie County ranks 3rd of the seven; Warren County is highest, at 41.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond County, GA | 98 | 19.0% | 31.5% |
| McDuffie County, GA | 96 | 19.6% | 34.6% |
| Jefferson County, GA | 93 | 21.5% | 38.1% |
| Warren County, GA | 91 | 24.6% | 41.7% |
| Wilkes County, GA | 89 | 20.3% | 30.7% |
| Lincoln County, GA | 61 | 14.1% | 32.9% |
| Columbia County, GA | 30 | 6.6% | 20.0% |
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 McDuffie County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, McDuffie County's poverty rate was 19.6% in 2024, 61st 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, McDuffie County ranks 20th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in McDuffie 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 McDuffie 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 McDuffie County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.