Ware County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Serious · 75.3 | 36,243 people · 10th most distressed in Georgia
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Ware County, GA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 75.2 — 62nd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Georgia, it ranks 10th of 159 counties. Among its 8 neighboring counties, 7 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Ware County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 90.3 — worse than roughly 90% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 90.3
Poverty Rate 85
Income vs. State Median 96
Child Poverty Rate 90
Debt & Delinquency 88.2
Debt in Collections 87
Medical Debt 94
Student Loan Delinquency 94
Auto Loan Delinquency 65
Credit Card Delinquency 92
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 97
Housing Cost Burden 83.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 85
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 84
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 59
Homeownership Rate 91
Rent-to-Income Ratio 96
Community Vulnerability 64.0
Uninsured Rate 91
Disability Rate 37
Employment & Wages 50.8
Unemployment Rate 58
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 64
Business Formation Rate 30

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Ware County compares to its 8 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Ware County
Ware County, GA 75.3 Serious —
Charlton County, GA 76.1 Serious +0.9
Clinch County, GA 67.4 Serious -7.8
Atkinson County, GA 67.2 Serious -8.0
Coffee County, GA 66.5 Serious -8.8
Bacon County, GA 64.8 Elevated -10.5
Brantley County, GA 63.8 Elevated -11.4
Baker County, FL 56.5 Elevated -18.8
Pierce County, GA 55.9 Elevated -19.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Ware County
Bristol city, VA 75.2 Serious -0.1
Crisp County, GA 75.4 Serious +0.2
Luna County, NM 75.4 Serious +0.2
Cibola County, NM 75.5 Serious +0.3
Kleberg County, TX 75.5 Serious +0.3

Download Data

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

Find Help in Ware 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 Ware 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 Ware County, Georgia?

    Ware County has a County Distress Index score of 75.3 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 62nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 10th in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Ware County?

    The primary driver of distress in Ware County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 90.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Ware County compare to neighboring counties?

    Ware County (75.3) can be compared to its 8 neighboring counties: Charlton County, GA (76.1); Clinch County, GA (67.4); Atkinson County, GA (67.2).

  • 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 Ware County?

    Ware County, Georgia has a population of approximately 36,243 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.