About one in three people in Wheeler County, Georgia, lives below the poverty line
In Wheeler County, 35.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wheeler County's score
In Wheeler County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 94.1. People with a credit card behind: 11.3%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 76.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wheeler 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.
Wheeler County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (10.1%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (2.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.1 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind11.3% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.9% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score57.1% · second quarter of 202692nd percentile
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- 76.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line35.0% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line32.5% · 202494th percentile
- People with a disability10.1% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- People without health insurance23.6% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$42,918 · 2024top 5%
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- 59.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.8% · August 202575th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people113 · 202542nd percentile
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- 54.6 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 rent11.2% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.0% · fiscal year 202793rd percentile
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- 39.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20269th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not workingnot published for this county; scored at the state median · 2020 to 202469th 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 Wheeler 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 Wheeler County, 17.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wheeler County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Wheeler County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 18% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Wheeler County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 41.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wheeler County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 25.6% in 2012 to 33.0% in 2013.
The share of households in Wheeler County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 23.5%
Low on the chart: 16.8% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Wheeler County, Georgia.
How Wheeler County has changed
Wheeler County's population had its largest rise, from 5,355 in 1994 to 6,111 in 1999.
Wheeler County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 7,859 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wheeler County, Georgia.
The number of jobs located in Wheeler County had its largest rise, from 1,138 in 2005 to 1,355 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Wheeler County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 1,355 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wheeler County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 27.2% | 2024 35.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,732 | 2024 $42,918 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Wheeler County's history
1912
Constitutional amendment proposed August 14, 1912, ratified November 5, 1912. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 9,817. The 2020 Census counted 7,471, 76% of the peak. Census Bureau
1993
A tornado in January 1993 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A tornado in September 2024 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1966
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wheeler County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wheeler County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Wheeler County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wheeler County ranks 2nd of the seven; Telfair County is highest, at 43.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telfair County, GA | 90 | 25.7% | 43.3% |
| Laurens County, GA | 89 | 20.3% | 30.8% |
| Dodge County, GA | 87 | 18.2% | 36.6% |
| Treutlen County, GA | 85 | 22.9% | 35.5% |
| Jeff Davis County, GA | 83 | 18.7% | 33.1% |
| Wheeler County, GA | 75 | 35.0% | 41.4% |
| Montgomery County, GA | 72 | 20.7% | 30.1% |
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 Wheeler County the poorest county in Georgia?
No, Wheeler County's poverty rate was 35.0% in 2024, 2nd 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, Wheeler County ranks 99th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wheeler 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 Wheeler 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 Wheeler County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.