Tift County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Elevated · 58.5 | 41,554 people · 104th most distressed in Georgia
American Default Research

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Tift County, GA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 58.5 — 942nd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Debt & Delinquency, where residents carry heavy debt burdens with elevated delinquency and collections rates. Within Georgia, it ranks 104th of 159 counties. It scores lower than all 6 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Tift County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 87.1 — worse than roughly 87% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 87.1
Debt in Collections 91
Medical Debt 94
Student Loan Delinquency 83
Auto Loan Delinquency 80
Credit Card Delinquency 75
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 100
Income & Poverty 75.4
Poverty Rate 83
Income vs. State Median 58
Child Poverty Rate 86
Housing Cost Burden 53.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 49
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 31
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 40
Homeownership Rate 92
Rent-to-Income Ratio 57
Community Vulnerability 52.7
Uninsured Rate 90
Disability Rate 15
Employment & Wages 23.4
Unemployment Rate 23
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 32
Business Formation Rate 16

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Tift County
Tift County, GA 58.5 Elevated —
Worth County, GA 71.1 Serious +12.7
Cook County, GA 69.4 Serious +10.9
Turner County, GA 68.7 Serious +10.3
Colquitt County, GA 68.1 Serious +9.6
Berrien County, GA 65.4 Serious +7.0
Irwin County, GA 60.5 Elevated +2.0

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Tift County
Marion County, IL 58.5 Elevated 0.0
Delta County, CO 58.5 Elevated +0.0
Des Moines County, IA 58.5 Elevated +0.0
Obion County, TN 58.5 Elevated +0.0
Howard County, TX 58.4 Elevated -0.0

Download Data

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

Find Help in Tift 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 Tift 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 Tift County, Georgia?

    Tift County has a County Distress Index score of 58.5 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 942nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 104th in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Tift County?

    The primary driver of distress in Tift County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 87.1 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Tift County compare to neighboring counties?

    Tift County (58.5) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Worth County, GA (71.1); Cook County, GA (69.4); Turner County, GA (68.7).

  • 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 Tift County?

    Tift County, Georgia has a population of approximately 41,554 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.