In Twiggs County, Georgia, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Twiggs County, 30.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Twiggs County's score
In Twiggs County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 89.3. About three in ten children (30.0%, 2024) live below the poverty line, a higher share than in 91% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 89.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Twiggs 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.
Twiggs County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line20.1% · 202487th percentile
- Children below the poverty line30.0% · 202491st percentile
- People with a disability22.5% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- People without health insurance14.6% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$51,965 · 202488th percentile
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- 89.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.3% · August 202584th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people351.1 · 202594th percentile
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- 89.0 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 behind9.5% · August 202590th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score58.8% · second quarter of 202694th percentile
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- 80.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202665th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working33.6% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
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- 73.3 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 rent18.4% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.2% · fiscal year 2027top 5%
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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 Twiggs 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 Twiggs County, 24.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Twiggs County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Twiggs County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 37.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Twiggs County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 37.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Twiggs County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 17.3% in 2020 to 21.5% in 2021.
The share of households in Twiggs County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 9.9% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Twiggs County, Georgia.
How Twiggs County has changed
Twiggs County's population had its largest rise, from 8,363 in 1974 to 9,672 in 1979.
Twiggs County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 10,548 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Twiggs County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Twiggs County had its largest rise, from 1,091 in 2015 to 1,852 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Twiggs County fell 10% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2010
Low on the chart: 997 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Twiggs County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.5% | 2024 20.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,539 | 2024 $51,965 |
The table uses 4.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Twiggs County's history
1809
Created December 14, 1809. Wikipedia
1861
After the Civil War (1861-65), agriculture remained a predominant business in the area, along with the later addition of forestry products and, in the twentieth century, kaolin mining. New Georgia Encyclopedia
1861
Railroads arrived in the county with the construction of the Macon and Brunswick (later Norfolk Southern) line in 1861, which was completed in 1870. New Georgia Encyclopedia
1891
The Macon, Dublin, and Savannah Railroad (later CSX), completed in 1891, passed through Dry Branch, Fitzpatrick, and Ripley, bringing increased commercial opportunities to those communities. New Georgia Encyclopedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 10,736. The 2020 Census counted 8,022, 75% of the peak. Census Bureau
1953
A tornado in April 1953 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1953
A tornado in April 1953 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in May 2008 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Twiggs County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Twiggs County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Twiggs County, one scores higher. Of the group, Twiggs County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (37.4%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bibb County, GA | 99 | 23.4% | 31.0% |
| Twiggs County, GA | 97 | 20.1% | 37.4% |
| Wilkinson County, GA | 96 | 20.6% | 36.8% |
| Bleckley County, GA | 80 | 17.6% | 31.4% |
| Houston County, GA | 61 | 11.9% | 23.8% |
| Jones County, GA | 56 | 11.7% | 24.1% |
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 Twiggs County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Twiggs County's poverty rate was 20.1% in 2024, 59th 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, Twiggs County ranks 11th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Twiggs 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 Twiggs 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 Twiggs County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.