About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Schley County, Georgia, is not working
In Schley County, 34.0% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Schley County's score
In Schley County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 76.8. About one in three people with a credit file (31.9%, August 2025) has unpaid debt sent to a collector, a higher share than in 78% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 76.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Schley 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.
Schley County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.1%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.5%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.9% · August 202578th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people198.9 · 202574th percentile
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- 76.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind10.1% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.9% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score54.4% · second quarter of 202688th percentile
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- 61.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202627th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working34.0% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 60.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.4% · 202467th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.7% · 202463rd percentile
- People with a disability15.7% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- People without health insurance10.1% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,487 · 202459th percentile
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- 26.9 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 rent13.1% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.9% · fiscal year 202731st 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 Schley 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 Schley County, 14.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Schley County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Schley County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 26.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Schley County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Schley County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 30.2% in 2017 to 24.7% in 2018.
The share of households in Schley County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 15.3% 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, Schley County, Georgia.
How Schley County has changed
Schley County's population had its largest rise, from 4,070 in 2004 to 4,954 in 2009.
Schley County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 4,954 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Schley County, Georgia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Schley County rose by about a quarter from 1990 to 2025, reaching 1,224, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 1,321 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Schley County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.9% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.6% | 2024 15.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,759 | 2024 $63,487 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Schley County's history
1857
Created December 22, 1857, by an act of the Georgia General Assembly. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 5,499. The 2020 Census counted 4,547, 83% of the peak. Census Bureau
1957
A tornado in April 1957 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Schley County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Schley County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Schley County score higher than it does. Of the group, Schley County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Taylor County gets the largest, at 36.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sumter County, GA | 97 | 27.6% | 34.5% |
| Macon County, GA | 95 | 29.9% | 29.3% |
| Taylor County, GA | 94 | 25.1% | 36.3% |
| Marion County, GA | 89 | 22.1% | 36.1% |
| Schley County, GA | 67 | 15.4% | 26.2% |
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 Schley County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Schley County's poverty rate was 15.4% in 2024, 93rd 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, Schley County ranks 109th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Schley 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 Schley 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 Schley County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.