Upson County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Serious · 66.6 | 28,263 people · 65th most distressed in Georgia
American Default Research

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Upson County, GA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 66.6 — 401st 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 65th of 159 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Upson County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 89.6 — worse than roughly 90% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 89.6
Debt in Collections 95
Medical Debt 96
Student Loan Delinquency 93
Auto Loan Delinquency 79
Credit Card Delinquency 90
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 86
Income & Poverty 70.4
Poverty Rate 76
Income vs. State Median 52
Child Poverty Rate 83
Community Vulnerability 69.5
Uninsured Rate 74
Disability Rate 65
Housing Cost Burden 67.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 76
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 98
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 21
Homeownership Rate 89
Rent-to-Income Ratio 53
Employment & Wages 35.9
Unemployment Rate 30
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 41
Business Formation Rate 36

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Upson County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Upson County
Upson County, GA 66.6 Serious —
Talbot County, GA 72.7 Serious +6.1
Taylor County, GA 72.4 Serious +5.8
Meriwether County, GA 68.7 Serious +2.1
Crawford County, GA 64.6 Elevated -2.0
Lamar County, GA 54.6 Elevated -11.9
Pike County, GA 47.7 Normal -18.9
Monroe County, GA 40.3 Normal -26.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Upson County
Van Buren County, AR 66.6 Serious -0.0
Aransas County, TX 66.6 Serious -0.0
Hale County, AL 66.6 Serious -0.0
Lawrence County, MS 66.6 Serious -0.0
Santa Cruz County, AZ 66.5 Serious -0.0

Download Data

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

Find Help in Upson 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 Upson 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 Upson County, Georgia?

    Upson County has a County Distress Index score of 66.6 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 401st nationally out of 3,144 counties and 65th in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Upson County?

    The primary driver of distress in Upson County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 89.6 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Upson County compare to neighboring counties?

    Upson County (66.6) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Talbot County, GA (72.7); Taylor County, GA (72.4); Meriwether 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 Upson County?

    Upson County, Georgia has a population of approximately 28,263 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.