About one in three people with a credit file in Thomas County, Georgia, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Thomas County, 36.2% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Thomas County's score
In Thomas County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 90.6. Bankruptcy filings ran at 326.4 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 92% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 85.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Thomas 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.
Thomas County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and adults 25 to 54 not working (16.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector36.2% · August 202588th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people326.4 · 202592nd percentile
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- 85.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.7% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.1% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.7% · second quarter of 202683rd percentile
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- 79.0 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 rent22.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.3% · fiscal year 202784th percentile
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- 75.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.3% · 202477th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.6% · 202481st percentile
- People with a disability17.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- People without health insurance11.8% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,510 · 202474th percentile
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- 23.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202621st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.8% · 2020 to 202425th 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 Thomas 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 Thomas County, 19.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Thomas County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Thomas County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 27.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Thomas County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Thomas County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 17.8% in 2011 to 20.4% in 2012.
The share of households in Thomas County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 20.4%
Low on the chart: 13.3% 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, Thomas County, Georgia.
How Thomas County has changed
Thomas County's population had its largest rise, from 39,866 in 1994 to 42,360 in 1999.
Thomas County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 46,054, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 38,434. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Thomas County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Thomas County had its largest drop, from 23,504 in 2005 to 20,202 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Thomas County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 23,504 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Thomas County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.3% | 2024 17.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,819 | 2024 $58,510 |
The table uses 3.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Thomas County's history
1825
Created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on December 23, 1825, from portions of Decatur and Irwin Counties. Wikipedia
1979
A tornado in November 1979 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Lightning in August 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in August 2008 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A tornado in February 2009 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 45,798, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Thomas County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Thomas County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Thomas County, in Georgia and Florida, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Thomas County ranks 5th of the seven; Brooks County is highest, at 34.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brooks County, GA | 98 | 19.4% | 34.3% |
| Mitchell County, GA | 98 | 23.0% | 30.6% |
| Grady County, GA | 87 | 19.5% | 29.6% |
| Colquitt County, GA | 86 | 22.2% | 30.9% |
| Thomas County, GA | 84 | 17.3% | 27.1% |
| Leon County, FL | 76 | 21.3% | 17.7% |
| Jefferson County, FL | 74 | 15.9% | 26.5% |
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 Thomas County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Thomas County's poverty rate was 17.3% in 2024, 80th 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, Thomas County ranks 73rd of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Thomas 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 Thomas 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 Thomas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.