About two in five people with a credit file in Washington County, Georgia, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Washington County, 42.4% 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 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives Washington County's score
In Washington County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 89.1. Income and the safety net comes next, at 88.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Washington 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.
Washington County does better than most counties on one measure: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.7%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector42.4% · August 2025top 5%
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people237.1 · 202583rd percentile
-
- 88.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line25.1% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line31.9% · 202493rd percentile
- People with a disability18.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- People without health insurance13.5% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$46,965 · 2024top 5%
-
- 87.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.3% · August 202576th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.7% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score62.0% · second quarter of 2026top 5%
-
- 79.0 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 rent21.9% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.6% · fiscal year 202785th percentile
-
- 59.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202637th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.8% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
-
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 Washington 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 Washington County, 18.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Washington County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Washington County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 33.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Washington County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Washington County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 18.1% in 2013 to 21.0% in 2014.
The share of households in Washington County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 29.4%, the highest on the chart
Low on the chart: 15.0% 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, Washington County, Georgia.
How Washington County has changed
Washington County's population had its largest rise, from 17,831 in 1974 to 18,856 in 1979.
Washington County's population rose 13% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 21,240 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Washington County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Washington County had its largest drop, from 8,044 in 2005 to 6,569 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Washington County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 8,899 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Washington County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 23.4% | 2024 25.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,365 | 2024 $46,965 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Washington County's history
1784
Established February 25, 1784. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 28,227. The 2020 Census counted 19,988, 71% of the peak. Census Bureau
2002
A number of manufacturing plants and a district Department of Transportation complex remain, while two peak power plants were built in 2002 and 2003. New Georgia Encyclopedia
-
Since 1966
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Washington County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Washington County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Washington County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Washington County ranks 6th of the seven; Hancock County is highest, at 43.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock County, GA | 99 | 30.7% | 43.1% |
| Wilkinson County, GA | 96 | 20.6% | 36.8% |
| Baldwin County, GA | 95 | 21.5% | 32.4% |
| Washington County, GA | 95 | 25.1% | 33.4% |
| Jefferson County, GA | 93 | 21.5% | 38.1% |
| Johnson County, GA | 80 | 33.4% | 43.1% |
| Glascock County, GA | 61 | 16.4% | 33.8% |
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 Washington County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Washington County's poverty rate was 25.1% in 2024, 19th 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, Washington County ranks 26th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Washington 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.
-
Georgia Legal Services Program
Legal aid
-
Georgia Legal Aid
Legal help website
-
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 Washington 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 Washington County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.