Unemployment in Pickens County, Georgia, is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties
In Pickens County, 2.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pickens County's score
In Pickens County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 74.3. Jobs are the lowest part, at 23.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pickens 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.
Even so, Pickens County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (283.6, 2025) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (25.7%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 74.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.7% · August 202559th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people283.6 · 202589th percentile
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- 61.3 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 rent15.8% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.7% · fiscal year 202786th percentile
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- 49.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.2% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.7% · second quarter of 202632nd percentile
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- 42.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.2% · 202416th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.2% · 202428th percentile
- People with a disability18.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- People without health insurance12.0% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$82,147 · 202417th percentile
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- 23.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20269th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.8% · 2020 to 202438th 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 Pickens 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 Pickens County, 23.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pickens County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Pickens County had its largest rise, from 15.3% in 2004 to 22.3% in 2009.
In Pickens County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 23.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Pickens County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pickens County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.1% in 2013 to 13.2% in 2014.
The share of households in Pickens 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: 5.9% 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, Pickens County, Georgia.
How Pickens County has changed
Pickens County's population had its largest rise, from 16,487 in 1994 to 21,840 in 1999.
Pickens County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 36,580, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 29,900. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pickens County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Pickens County had its largest rise in the last span, from 7,641 in 2020 to 9,658 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Pickens County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 9,658, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 6,884. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pickens County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.9% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.9% | 2024 9.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,235 | 2024 $82,147 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Pickens County's history
1853
Created by Georgia General Assembly act December 5, 1853 from portions of Cherokee and Gilmer Counties. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A tornado in November 2002 did $5.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in September 2011 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 33,216, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1974
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pickens County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pickens County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Pickens County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pickens County ranks 3rd of the five; Gilmer County is highest, at 31.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gordon County, GA | 67 | 12.1% | 23.8% |
| Pickens County, GA | 49 | 9.2% | 23.8% |
| Gilmer County, GA | 39 | 14.4% | 31.3% |
| Dawson County, GA | 28 | 8.0% | 17.9% |
| Cherokee County, GA | 19 | 6.8% | 14.3% |
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 Pickens County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Pickens County's poverty rate was 9.2% in 2024, 143rd 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, Pickens County ranks 135th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pickens 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 Pickens 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 Pickens County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.