About two in five people with a credit file in Mitchell County, Georgia, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Mitchell County, 42.4% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mitchell County's score
In Mitchell County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 96.9. About three in five people (63.1%, Q2 2026) have a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 98% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 96.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mitchell 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.
Mitchell County does better than most counties on one measure: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 96.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.8% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind13.0% · August 202597th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score63.1% · second quarter of 202698th percentile
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- 96.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector42.4% · August 202596th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people416.8 · 202596th percentile
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- 92.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line23.0% · 202494th percentile
- Children below the poverty line33.9% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability21.8% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- People without health insurance17.9% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$50,527 · 202490th percentile
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- 79.0 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 rent23.7% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.8% · fiscal year 202776th percentile
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- 58.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202643rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.8% · 2020 to 202473rd 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 Mitchell 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 Mitchell 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
Mitchell County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Mitchell County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Mitchell County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Mitchell County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 28.6% in 2019 to 33.1% in 2020.
The share of households in Mitchell County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 27.4%
Low on the chart: 18.5% 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, Mitchell County, Georgia.
How Mitchell County has changed
Mitchell County's population had its largest rise, from 21,620 in 1994 to 23,615 in 1999.
Mitchell County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 23,615 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mitchell County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Mitchell County rose most sharply from its first year (5,979 in 1990) to 7,706 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Mitchell County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 8,870 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mitchell County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.5% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 32.3% | 2024 23.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,487 | 2024 $50,527 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Mitchell County's history
1857
Created from Baker County on December 21, 1857. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 25,588. The 2020 Census counted 21,755, 85% of the peak. Census Bureau
1974
A tornado in April 1974 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A tornado in February 2000 did $20 million in property damage and killed 11 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A tornado in February 2000 did $1 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in March 2003 did $6 million in property damage and killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mitchell County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mitchell County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Mitchell County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Mitchell County ranks 3rd of the eight; Dougherty County is highest, at 34.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dougherty County, GA | 99 | 23.6% | 34.8% |
| Mitchell County, GA | 98 | 23.0% | 30.6% |
| Worth County, GA | 97 | 26.4% | 30.0% |
| Decatur County, GA | 94 | 21.7% | 28.7% |
| Baker County, GA | 93 | 24.1% | 29.9% |
| Grady County, GA | 87 | 19.5% | 29.6% |
| Colquitt County, GA | 86 | 22.2% | 30.9% |
| Thomas County, GA | 84 | 17.3% | 27.1% |
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 Mitchell County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Mitchell County's poverty rate was 23.0% in 2024, 31st 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, Mitchell County ranks 10th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mitchell 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 Mitchell 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 Mitchell County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.