About two in five people with a credit file in Troup County, Georgia, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Troup County, 41.8% 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 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Troup County's score
In Troup County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 96.5. Late payments on loans come next, at 89.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Troup 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.
Troup County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (2.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and adults 25 to 54 not working (20.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 96.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector41.8% · August 202596th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people418.4 · 202596th percentile
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- 89.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.4% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.3% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score56.1% · second quarter of 202691st percentile
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- 79.2 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 rent24.5% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.3% · fiscal year 202773rd percentile
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- 65.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.9% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.9% · 202475th percentile
- People with a disability16.7% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- People without health insurance9.5% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,476 · 202466th percentile
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- 30.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202611th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.7% · 2020 to 202449th 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 Troup 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 Troup County, 15.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Troup County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Troup County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 27.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Troup County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Troup County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 18.1% in 2022 to 20.3% in 2023.
The share of households in Troup County getting SNAP food aid rose by more than half from 2009 to 2023, reaching 20.3%, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 20.3% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Troup County, Georgia.
How Troup County has changed
Troup County's population had its largest rise, from 62,001 in 2004 to 66,422 in 2009.
Troup County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 71,513, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 69,341. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Troup County, Georgia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Troup County rose by more than half to 42,864, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2015, reaching 38,270. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Troup County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.0% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.5% | 2024 14.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,136 | 2024 $61,476 |
The table uses 3.0% for 2025; the score uses 2.9% 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 Troup County's history
2003
A flash flood in May 2003 did $10 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Hail in April 2013 did $1,748,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A thunderstorm in June 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 69,426, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Troup County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Troup County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Troup County, in Georgia and Alabama, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Troup County ranks 5th of the seven; Randolph County is highest, at 36.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chambers County, AL | 90 | 18.9% | 35.7% |
| Meriwether County, GA | 87 | 17.8% | 32.8% |
| Troup County, GA | 86 | 14.9% | 27.4% |
| Heard County, GA | 84 | 12.5% | 28.6% |
| Randolph County, AL | 83 | 18.6% | 36.1% |
| Coweta County, GA | 41 | 7.3% | 16.6% |
| Harris County, GA | 31 | 8.8% | 21.0% |
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 Troup County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Troup County's poverty rate was 14.9% in 2024, 96th 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, Troup County ranks 65th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Troup 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 Troup County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.