About two in five people with a credit file in Taylor County, Georgia, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Taylor County, 42.2% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives Taylor County's score
In Taylor County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 88.7. Late payments on loans come next, at 87.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Taylor 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.
Taylor County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (17.3%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (4.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector42.2% · August 2025top 5%
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people232 · 202582nd percentile
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- 87.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind15.4% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.6% · August 202579th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score54.7% · second quarter of 202689th percentile
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- 85.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line25.1% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line30.6% · 202492nd percentile
- People with a disability19.2% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- People without health insurance10.3% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,086 · 202494th percentile
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- 70.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202648th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.6% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
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- 64.4 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 rent17.3% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.0% · fiscal year 202783rd 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 Taylor 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 Taylor County, 21.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Taylor County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Taylor County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 36.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Taylor County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Taylor County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 29.3% in 2023 to 34.1% in 2024.
The share of households in Taylor County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half to 34.1%, the highest on the chart
Low on the chart: 21.1% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Taylor County, Georgia.
How Taylor County has changed
Taylor County's population had its largest rise, from 8,109 in 1994 to 8,790 in 1999.
Taylor County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2004 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 8,918 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Taylor County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Taylor County had its largest rise, from 1,585 in 1990 to 1,929 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Taylor County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 2,096 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Taylor County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.8% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 24.4% | 2024 25.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,618 | 2024 $48,086 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Taylor County's history
1852
Created January 15, 1852 by Georgia General Assembly from portions of Macon, Marion and Talbot counties. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 11,473. The 2020 Census counted 7,816, 68% of the peak. Census Bureau
1954
A tornado in March 1954 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A flash flood in May 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A tornado in March 2007 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A thunderstorm in April 2011 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1966
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Taylor County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Taylor County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Taylor County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Taylor County ranks 2nd of the eight; Talbot County is highest, at 39.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talbot County, GA | 99 | 22.0% | 39.7% |
| Macon County, GA | 95 | 29.9% | 29.3% |
| Taylor County, GA | 94 | 25.1% | 36.3% |
| Upson County, GA | 92 | 16.3% | 31.5% |
| Marion County, GA | 89 | 22.1% | 36.1% |
| Peach County, GA | 84 | 17.7% | 32.7% |
| Crawford County, GA | 79 | 14.4% | 28.2% |
| 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 Taylor County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Taylor County's poverty rate was 25.1% in 2024, 19th 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, Taylor County ranks 29th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Taylor 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 Taylor 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 Taylor County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.