Telfair County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Serious · 75.8 | 10,920 people · 8th most distressed in Georgia
American Default Research

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Telfair County, GA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 75.8 — 51st 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 8th of 159 counties. It scores higher than all 6 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Telfair County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 94.7 — worse than roughly 95% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 94.7
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 94
Child Poverty Rate 95
Community Vulnerability 87.3
Uninsured Rate 80
Disability Rate 94
Debt & Delinquency 86.3
Debt in Collections 95
Medical Debt 91
Student Loan Delinquency 85
Auto Loan Delinquency 94
Credit Card Delinquency 83
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 71
Employment & Wages 60.0
Unemployment Rate 72
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 70
Business Formation Rate 38
Housing Cost Burden 50.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 45
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 48
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 66
Rent-to-Income Ratio 90

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Telfair County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Telfair County
Telfair County, GA 75.8 Serious —
Dodge County, GA 69.7 Serious -6.2
Ben Hill County, GA 68.7 Serious -7.2
Jeff Davis County, GA 67.1 Serious -8.7
Coffee County, GA 66.5 Serious -9.3
Wilcox County, GA 64.2 Elevated -11.7
Wheeler County, GA 63.4 Elevated -12.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Telfair County
Edgecombe County, NC 75.8 Serious -0.0
Zapata County, TX 75.7 Serious -0.1
Cocke County, TN 75.6 Serious -0.2
Anson County, NC 75.5 Serious -0.3
Kleberg County, TX 75.5 Serious -0.3

Download Data

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

Find Help in Telfair 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 Telfair 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 Telfair County, Georgia?

    Telfair County has a County Distress Index score of 75.8 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 51st nationally out of 3,144 counties and 8th in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Telfair County?

    The primary driver of distress in Telfair County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 94.7 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Telfair County compare to neighboring counties?

    Telfair County (75.8) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Dodge County, GA (69.7); Ben Hill County, GA (68.7); Jeff Davis County, GA (67.1).

  • 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 Telfair County?

    Telfair County, Georgia has a population of approximately 10,920 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.