Sumter County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Serious · 73.9 | 28,890 people · 13th most distressed in Georgia
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Sumter County, GA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 73.9 — 86th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Georgia, it ranks 13th of 159 counties. Among its 8 neighboring counties, 6 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Sumter County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 95.6 — worse than roughly 96% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 95.6
Poverty Rate 96
Income vs. State Median 91
Child Poverty Rate 99
Debt & Delinquency 85.0
Debt in Collections 96
Medical Debt 41
Student Loan Delinquency 89
Auto Loan Delinquency 94
Credit Card Delinquency 98
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 92
Housing Cost Burden 79.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 67
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 51
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 85
Homeownership Rate 96
Rent-to-Income Ratio 95
Employment & Wages 56.6
Unemployment Rate 74
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 75
Business Formation Rate 21
Community Vulnerability 53.2
Uninsured Rate 83
Disability Rate 24

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Sumter County compares to its 8 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Sumter County
Sumter County, GA 73.9 Serious —
Crisp County, GA 75.4 Serious +1.6
Terrell County, GA 74.0 Serious +0.2
Macon County, GA 73.6 Serious -0.3
Marion County, GA 69.7 Serious -4.2
Dooly County, GA 64.7 Elevated -9.2
Webster County, GA 61.4 Elevated -12.5
Schley County, GA 53.3 Elevated -20.5
Lee County, GA 44.9 Normal -29.0

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Sumter County
Brooks County, GA 74.0 Serious +0.1
Leflore County, MS 73.6 Serious -0.2
Marlboro County, SC 74.1 Serious +0.2
Macon County, GA 73.6 Serious -0.3
Red River County, TX 73.5 Serious -0.3

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Sumter County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Sumter County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service 404-527-8700

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Sumter County residents at no cost.

Atlanta Legal Aid Society 404-524-5811
Georgia Legal Services Program 1-888-257-4567
Georgia Legal Aid
State Bar of Georgia Lawyer Referral Service 404-527-8700

Self-Help Resources

Georgia Legal Aid — Housing Self-help guides for Georgia foreclosure process, rights, and defenses
DCA Georgia HAF Resources Assistance programs and housing counselor referrals

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Sumter County, Georgia?

    Sumter County has a County Distress Index score of 73.9 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 86th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 13th in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Sumter County?

    The primary driver of distress in Sumter County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 95.6 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Sumter County compare to neighboring counties?

    Sumter County (73.9) can be compared to its 8 neighboring counties: Crisp County, GA (75.4); Terrell County, GA (74.0); Macon County, GA (73.6).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Sumter County?

    Sumter County, Georgia has a population of approximately 28,890 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.