About half people with a credit file in Randolph County, Georgia, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Randolph County, 50.3% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Randolph County's score
In Randolph County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 95.0. Late payments on loans come next, at 95.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Randolph 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.
Randolph County does better than most counties on one measure: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.8%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 95.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector50.3% · August 2025top 5%
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people542.9 · 2025top 5%
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- 95.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind10.0% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind13.1% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score60.4% · second quarter of 2026top 5%
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- 80.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line25.9% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line37.7% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability18.0% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance8.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$41,224 · 2024top 5%
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- 75.7 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 rent19.2% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.6% · fiscal year 2027top 5%
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- 68.1 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 202641st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working33.2% · 2020 to 202494th 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 Randolph 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 Randolph County, 22.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Randolph County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Randolph County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 40.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Randolph County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 40.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Randolph County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.2% in 2011 to 26.1% in 2012.
The share of households in Randolph County getting SNAP food aid tripled from 2009 to 2023, reaching 41.4%, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 42.0% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Randolph County, Georgia.
How Randolph County has changed
Randolph County's population had its largest drop, from 9,018 in 1984 to 8,127 in 1989.
Randolph County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 37% since
High on the chart: 9,654 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Randolph County, Georgia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Randolph County fell by about a third to 1,660, the lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 2005 and 2010
High on the chart: 2,552 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Randolph County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.9% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 39.3% | 2024 25.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $13,794 | 2024 $41,224 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Randolph County's history
1828
Created December 20, 1828. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 18,841. The 2020 Census counted 6,425, 34% of the peak. Census Bureau
1963
A tornado in January 1963 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1994
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Randolph County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Randolph County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Randolph County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Randolph County ranks 5th of the seven; Quitman County is highest, at 47.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terrell County, GA | 99 | 27.3% | 34.3% |
| Randolph County, GA | 97 | 25.9% | 40.8% |
| Quitman County, GA | 96 | 22.3% | 47.4% |
| Clay County, GA | 92 | 25.7% | 46.8% |
| Stewart County, GA | 91 | 30.6% | 38.4% |
| Calhoun County, GA | 87 | 36.8% | 44.7% |
| Webster County, GA | 86 | 19.7% | 42.0% |
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 Randolph County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Randolph County's poverty rate was 25.9% in 2024, 14th 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, Randolph County ranks 14th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Randolph 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 Randolph 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 Randolph County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.