About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Tattnall County, Georgia, is not working
In Tattnall County, 34.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Tattnall County's score
In Tattnall County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 88.5. Late payments on loans come next, at 79.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Tattnall 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.
Tattnall County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (8.3%, 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.
- 88.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line24.1% · 202495th percentile
- Children below the poverty line30.2% · 202491st percentile
- People with a disability20.8% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- People without health insurance13.9% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,531 · 202485th percentile
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- 79.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.0% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.2% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score55.3% · second quarter of 202689th percentile
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- 71.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector39.2% · August 202592nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people127.6 · 202550th percentile
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- 61.9 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 202628th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working34.2% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
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- 37.9 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 rent8.3% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.5% · fiscal year 202766th 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 Tattnall 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 Tattnall County, 15.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Tattnall County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Tattnall County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Tattnall County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Tattnall County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 20.4% in 2013 to 23.7% in 2014.
The share of households in Tattnall County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 22.2%
Low on the chart: 13.8% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Tattnall County, Georgia.
How Tattnall County has changed
Tattnall County's population had its largest rise, from 19,435 in 1994 to 22,049 in 1999.
Tattnall County's population rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24,275
High on the chart: 25,068 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Tattnall County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Tattnall County rose most sharply from its first year (5,464 in 1990) to 6,252 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Tattnall County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 6,252 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Tattnall County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 27.8% | 2024 24.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,151 | 2024 $53,531 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Tattnall County's history
1801
Created December 5, 1801, from part of Montgomery County by the Georgia General Assembly. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in May 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Lightning in May 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in May 2008 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 25,520. The 2020 Census counted 22,842, 90% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1966
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Tattnall County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Tattnall County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Tattnall County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Tattnall County ranks 5th of the eight; Candler County is highest, at 36.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty County, GA | 91 | 16.0% | 28.4% |
| Evans County, GA | 90 | 22.6% | 30.5% |
| Wayne County, GA | 88 | 18.6% | 32.0% |
| Toombs County, GA | 86 | 22.8% | 33.6% |
| Candler County, GA | 84 | 21.3% | 36.5% |
| Tattnall County, GA | 80 | 24.1% | 30.4% |
| Appling County, GA | 76 | 16.9% | 28.3% |
| Long County, GA | 70 | 13.8% | 26.9% |
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 Tattnall County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Tattnall County's poverty rate was 24.1% in 2024, 23rd 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, Tattnall County ranks 86th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Tattnall 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 Tattnall 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 Tattnall County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.