About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Putnam County, Georgia, is not working
In Putnam County, 24.7% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 72% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Putnam County's score
In Putnam County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 73.8. Bankruptcy filings ran at 203.2 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 75% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 62.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Putnam 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.
Putnam County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (3.8%, August 2025) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.5%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 73.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.4% · August 202572nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people203.2 · 202575th percentile
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- 62.9 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 rent35.4% · 2020 to 202499th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.5% · fiscal year 202726th percentile
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- 57.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202643rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
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- 57.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.5% · 202452nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.6% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability16.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- People without health insurance10.3% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,274 · 202432nd percentile
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- 49.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.8% · August 202522nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.3% · second quarter of 202664th 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 Putnam 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 Putnam County, 24.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Putnam County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Putnam County had its largest rise, from 18.4% in 2004 to 25.3% in 2009.
In Putnam County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 24.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Putnam County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Putnam County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.4% in 2013 to 17.7% in 2014.
The share of households in Putnam County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 11.0%
Low on the chart: 7.4% 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, Putnam County, Georgia.
How Putnam County has changed
Putnam County's population tripled to 23,383, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 18,667. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Putnam County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Putnam County had its largest rise, from 5,033 in 1995 to 6,208 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Putnam County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 6,942 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Putnam County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.3% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.6% | 2024 13.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,035 | 2024 $73,274 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Putnam County's history
1807
Created December 10, 1807, by an act of the Georgia General Assembly. Wikipedia
1824
The oldest part of the courthouse dates from 1824; the building underwent renovations in 1994. New Georgia Encyclopedia
1920
Thousands of blacks left the state during the Great Migration from 1920 to 1960. Wikipedia
1953
The creation of Lake Sinclair in 1953 and Lake Oconee in 1979 helped give birth to the tourism and recreation industry in Putnam County. New Georgia Encyclopedia
1983
Alice Walker, another Putnam County native, won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for her book The Color Purple. New Georgia Encyclopedia
1992
F4 tornado on November 22, 1992 caused $27,000,000 in damages, killed five locals and injured 86. Wikipedia
1992
A tornado in November 1992 did $25 million in property damage and killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 22,047, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Putnam County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Putnam County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Putnam County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Putnam County ranks 4th of the seven; Hancock County is highest, at 43.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock County, GA | 99 | 30.7% | 43.1% |
| Baldwin County, GA | 95 | 21.5% | 32.4% |
| Jasper County, GA | 74 | 13.2% | 24.7% |
| Putnam County, GA | 67 | 13.5% | 24.6% |
| Jones County, GA | 56 | 11.7% | 24.1% |
| Morgan County, GA | 51 | 10.6% | 20.8% |
| Greene County, GA | 42 | 13.6% | 20.7% |
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 Putnam County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Putnam County's poverty rate was 13.5% in 2024, 110th 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, Putnam County ranks 111th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Putnam 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 Putnam 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 Putnam County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.