About one in four people in Stewart County, Georgia, has a disability
In Stewart County, 28.6% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Stewart County's score
In Stewart County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 94.2. About one in four people (28.6%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 92.1.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Stewart County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (5.4%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a credit card behind (4.6%, August 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Stewart County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 94.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line29.5% · 202491st percentile
- People with a disability28.6% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$44,023 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line30.6% · 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance22.6% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
-
- 92.1 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.4% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202690th percentile
-
- 77.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector42.0% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people149.8 · 202559th percentile
-
- 71.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.3% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.6% · Q4 202595th percentile
-
- 48.3 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.3% · fiscal year 202791st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent5.4% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
-
Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Stewart County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Stewart County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Stewart County in 2024, pay from work was 50 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 12 cents. Benefit checks were 38 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks brought in more than pay in one of the years since 1969, but pay is ahead now.
In Stewart County, benefit checks rose from 11 to 38 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Stewart County, Georgia: 38.4% and 50.0% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 38.4% of all personal income in Stewart County, Georgia (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Stewart County, 16.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Stewart County has changed
The number of people living in Stewart County fell by about three in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 6,417 to 4,809. The number of jobs located there grew by about 59% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 8.3% in 1990 to 5.4% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 6,417 | 2024 4,809 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,059 | 2024 1,679 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.3% | 2025 5.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 33.5% | 2024 30.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $13,919 | 2024 $44,023 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 10.9% | 2024 38.4% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Stewart County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 15,856. The 2020 Census counted 5,314, 34% of the peak. Census Bureau
1830
Created December 23, 1830, from land that had been part of Randolph County, Georgia. Wikipedia
1954
F2 tornado December 5, 1954, killed one and injured 20. Wikipedia
1954
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1977
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Stewart County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Stewart County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Stewart County, in Georgia and Alabama, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Stewart County ranks 4th of the eight; Quitman County is highest, at 47.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russell County, AL | 98 | 20.2% | 35.5% |
| Randolph County, GA | 97 | 25.9% | 40.8% |
| Barbour County, AL | 95 | 28.1% | 38.3% |
| Quitman County, GA | 95 | 22.3% | 47.4% |
| Stewart County, GA | 91 | 30.6% | 38.4% |
| Marion County, GA | 89 | 22.1% | 36.1% |
| Webster County, GA | 85 | 19.7% | 42.0% |
| Chattahoochee County, GA | 70 | 17.8% | 15.5% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Stewart County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Stewart County's poverty rate was 30.6% in 2024, 5th 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, Stewart County ranks 38th of 159 in the state.
Stewart County in photographs
Places in Stewart County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Rood creek landing, Stewart County, Georgia.
Rood creek landing, Stewart County, Georgia.
Stewart County, Georgia: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Stewart County, Georgia?
30.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in three people. Among children it was 29.5%.
Is Stewart County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Stewart County's poverty rate was 30.6% in 2024, 5th 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, Stewart County ranks 38th of 159 in the state.
What is the population of Stewart County, Georgia?
About 4,809 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 5,314, 34% of the county's peak of 15,856 in 1900.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Stewart County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
-
Georgia Legal Services Program
Legal aid
-
Georgia Legal Aid
Legal aid
-
HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Stewart County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Stewart County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.