In Towns County, Georgia, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2009
In 2024, 39 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Towns County's score
In Towns County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 60.8. About one in four people (23.2%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a higher share than in 92% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 57.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Towns 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.
Towns County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.0%, fiscal year 2027) and people with a subprime credit score (33.1%, Q2 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 60.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.1% · 202431st percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.9% · 202454th percentile
- People with a disability23.2% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- People without health insurance11.5% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,947 · 202449th percentile
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- 57.8 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 rent28.3% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.0% · fiscal year 202721st percentile
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- 56.0 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 working27.5% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
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- 42.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.2% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.6% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.1% · second quarter of 202622nd percentile
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- 35.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.2% · August 202542nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people84.4 · 202527th 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 Towns 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 Towns County, 36.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Towns County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Towns County had its largest rise, from 27.4% in 2004 to 36.6% in 2009.
In Towns County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2009
In Towns County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 39.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Towns County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.3% in 2011 to 9.1% in 2012.
The share of households in Towns County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 7.5%
Low on the chart: 5.6% 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, Towns County, Georgia.
How Towns County has changed
Towns County's population had its largest rise, from 7,525 in 1994 to 9,135 in 1999.
Towns County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13,184, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 5,004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Towns County, Georgia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Towns County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 3,393, with most of the change between 2000 and 2005
High on the chart: 3,601 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Towns County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.3% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.8% | 2024 11.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,431 | 2024 $66,947 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Towns County's history
1856
Created March 6, 1856. Wikipedia
1942
Lake Chatuge artificial reservoir created by Chatuge Dam completion by Tennessee Valley Authority in 1942. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 12,493, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1993
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Towns County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Towns County beside its neighbors
Towns County scores higher than all five counties that border it, in Georgia and North Carolina. For the share of income from benefit checks, Towns County ranks 2nd of the six; Clay County is highest, at 41.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Towns County, GA | 50 | 11.1% | 39.2% |
| White County, GA | 46 | 10.8% | 29.0% |
| Habersham County, GA | 44 | 13.6% | 28.3% |
| Clay County, NC | 43 | 11.5% | 41.5% |
| Rabun County, GA | 37 | 11.7% | 29.9% |
| Union County, GA | 33 | 11.4% | 38.1% |
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 Towns County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Towns County's poverty rate was 11.1% in 2024, 130th 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, Towns County ranks 133rd of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Towns 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.
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 Towns County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.