About two in five people with a credit file in Polk County, Georgia, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Polk County, 38.3% 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 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Polk County's score
In Polk County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 89.8. Late payments on loans come next, at 86.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Polk 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.
Polk County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.7%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector38.3% · August 202591st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people271.4 · 202587th percentile
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- 86.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.1% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.7% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score52.8% · second quarter of 202686th percentile
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- 68.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.3% · 202466th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.6% · 202470th percentile
- People with a disability17.2% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance12.0% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,928 · 202464th percentile
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- 62.5 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 rent24.8% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.7% · fiscal year 202738th percentile
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- 48.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202622nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.0% · 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 Polk 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 Polk County, 15.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Polk County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Polk County had its largest rise, from 24.1% in 2004 to 30.4% in 2009.
In Polk County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 32.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Polk County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Polk County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (10.8% in 2009) to 14.7% in 2010.
The share of households in Polk County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 10.8% 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, Polk County, Georgia.
How Polk County has changed
Polk County's population rose by about half to 44,610, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 32,504. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Polk County, Georgia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Polk County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 11,132, with most of the change between 2000 and 2005
High on the chart: 11,693 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Polk County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.9% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.6% | 2024 15.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,599 | 2024 $61,928 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Polk County's history
1851
Created December 20, 1851, by an act of the Georgia General Assembly. Wikipedia
1865
Cedar Town was burnt to the ground by Union forces of General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick. Wikipedia
1993
A tornado in February 1993 did $5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in March 2008 did $3.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Rome Plow Company shut down in late 2009. Wikipedia
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A thunderstorm in March 2013 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 42,853, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1974
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Polk County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Polk County beside its neighbors
Polk County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Georgia and Alabama. For the share of income from benefit checks, Polk County ranks 2nd of the seven; Cherokee County is highest, at 34.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, GA | 85 | 15.3% | 32.1% |
| Floyd County, GA | 80 | 14.9% | 29.3% |
| Cherokee County, AL | 66 | 15.4% | 34.3% |
| Bartow County, GA | 64 | 10.7% | 21.4% |
| Haralson County, GA | 63 | 13.7% | 27.6% |
| Cleburne County, AL | 58 | 14.0% | 28.5% |
| Paulding County, GA | 54 | 6.6% | 16.5% |
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 Polk County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Polk County's poverty rate was 15.3% in 2024, 94th 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, Polk County ranks 72nd of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Polk 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.
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 Polk County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.