About two in five people with a credit file in Murray County, Georgia, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Murray County, 38.1% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Murray County's score
In Murray County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 94.1. Bankruptcy filings ran at 426.5 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 96% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 89.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Murray 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.
Murray County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (14.5%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.6%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector38.1% · August 202591st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people426.5 · 202596th percentile
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- 89.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.7% · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.7% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score52.9% · second quarter of 202686th percentile
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- 66.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.7% · 202468th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.8% · 202463rd percentile
- People with a disability15.5% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- People without health insurance13.8% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,257 · 202467th percentile
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- 44.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202634th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
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- 33.8 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 rent14.5% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.7% · fiscal year 202738th 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 Murray 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 Murray County, 15.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Murray County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Murray County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 29.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Murray County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 29.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Murray County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.2% in 2013 to 18.7% in 2014.
The share of households in Murray County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 9.4% 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, Murray County, Georgia.
How Murray County has changed
Murray County's population more than tripled to 41,316, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 35,495. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Murray County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Murray County had its largest rise, from 8,886 in 1990 to 11,621 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Murray County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 38% since
High on the chart: 13,141 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Murray County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.8% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.1% | 2024 15.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,302 | 2024 $61,257 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Murray County's history
1832
Designated in December 1832 as the extreme northwestern corner of Georgia, originally included parts of Dade, Walker, Catoosa, Whitfield, Gordon and parts of Bartow and Chatooga Counties. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 39,973, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A tornado in April 2020 killed eight people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Murray County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Murray County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Murray County, in Georgia and Tennessee, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Murray County ranks 4th of the seven; Fannin County is highest, at 32.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, TN | 77 | 14.6% | 30.8% |
| Murray County, GA | 76 | 15.7% | 29.9% |
| Whitfield County, GA | 69 | 14.4% | 22.9% |
| Bradley County, TN | 68 | 11.6% | 25.6% |
| Gordon County, GA | 67 | 12.1% | 23.8% |
| Fannin County, GA | 50 | 13.9% | 32.0% |
| Gilmer County, GA | 39 | 14.4% | 31.3% |
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 Murray County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Murray County's poverty rate was 15.7% in 2024, 91st 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, Murray County ranks 97th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Murray 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 Murray 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 Murray County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.