About two in five people with a credit file in Upson County, Georgia, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Upson County, 40.4% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 92% of U.S. counties.
What drives Upson County's score
In Upson County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 90.3. Late payments on loans come next, at 88.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Upson 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.
Upson County does better than most counties on one measure: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.6%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector40.4% · August 202594th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people254.8 · 202585th percentile
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- 88.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.7% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.5% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score59.9% · second quarter of 202696th percentile
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- 77.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.3% · 202472nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.1% · 202484th percentile
- People with a disability18.3% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance12.4% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,452 · 202479th percentile
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- 76.9 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 rent30.1% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.3% · fiscal year 202756th percentile
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- 50.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202630th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.5% · 2020 to 202471st 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 Upson 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 Upson County, 18.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Upson County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Upson County had its largest rise, from 24.1% in 2004 to 31.1% in 2009.
In Upson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 31.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Upson County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Upson County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2019 low, from 15.6% in 2019 to 20.8% in 2020.
The share of households in Upson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 22.7%
Low on the chart: 15.6% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Upson County, Georgia.
How Upson County has changed
Upson County's population rose by about a fifth to 28,358, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 24,737. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Upson County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Upson County had its largest drop, from 9,691 in 2000 to 8,162 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Upson County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 10,532 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Upson County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.7% | 2024 16.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,802 | 2024 $56,452 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Upson County's history
1824
Created December 15, 1824. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 27,700, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Upson County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Upson County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Upson County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Upson County ranks 4th of the eight; Talbot County is highest, at 39.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talbot County, GA | 99 | 22.0% | 39.7% |
| Taylor County, GA | 94 | 25.1% | 36.3% |
| Upson County, GA | 92 | 16.3% | 31.5% |
| Meriwether County, GA | 87 | 17.8% | 32.8% |
| Crawford County, GA | 79 | 14.4% | 28.2% |
| Lamar County, GA | 66 | 12.6% | 27.8% |
| Monroe County, GA | 46 | 10.5% | 20.0% |
| Pike County, GA | 43 | 8.4% | 20.4% |
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 Upson County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Upson County's poverty rate was 16.3% in 2024, 89th 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, Upson County ranks 37th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Upson 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 Upson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.