In Quitman County, Georgia, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2020
In 2024, 47 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 96% of U.S. counties.
What drives Quitman County's score
In Quitman County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 95.0. Unemployment averaged 6.8%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 93.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Quitman 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.
Quitman County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (0.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 95.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working34.6% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 93.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line22.3% · 202492nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line38.2% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability38.0% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance14.8% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$45,017 · 2024top 5%
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- 87.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector42.7% · August 2025top 5%
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people219.3 · 202579th percentile
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- 85.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202581st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202579th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score61.8% · second quarter of 2026top 5%
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- 47.5 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 rent0.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.7% · fiscal year 202789th 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 Quitman 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 Quitman County, 37.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Quitman County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Quitman County had its largest rise, from 30.5% in 2004 to 40.5% in 2009.
In Quitman County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Georgia
In Quitman County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 47.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Quitman County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 35.3% in 2019 to 26.4% in 2020.
The share of households in Quitman County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 14.6% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Quitman County, Georgia.
How Quitman County has changed
Quitman County's population had its largest drop, from 2,497 in 2009 to 2,269 in 2014.
Quitman County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 2,563 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Quitman County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Quitman County had its largest rise, from 278 in 2000 to 486 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Quitman County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 486 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Quitman County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.6% | 2025 6.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 34.4% | 2024 22.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $12,208 | 2024 $45,017 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Quitman County's history
1858
Created December 10, 1858. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 4,701. The 2020 Census counted 2,235, 48% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1994
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Quitman County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Quitman County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Quitman County, in Georgia and Alabama, one scores higher. Of the group, Quitman County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (47.4%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Randolph County, GA | 97 | 25.9% | 40.8% |
| Quitman County, GA | 96 | 22.3% | 47.4% |
| Barbour County, AL | 95 | 28.1% | 38.3% |
| Clay County, GA | 92 | 25.7% | 46.8% |
| Stewart County, GA | 91 | 30.6% | 38.4% |
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 Quitman County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Quitman County's poverty rate was 22.3% in 2024, 37th 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, Quitman County ranks 19th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Quitman 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 Quitman 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 Quitman County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.