Wilkes County, Georgia

County Distress Index: Elevated · 64.8 | 9,518 people · 76th most distressed in Georgia
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Wilkes County, GA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 64.8 — 510th 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 76th of 159 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 6 neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Wilkes County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 82.8 — worse than roughly 83% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 82.8
Poverty Rate 77
Income vs. State Median 77
Child Poverty Rate 94
Debt & Delinquency 82.1
Debt in Collections 88
Medical Debt 93
Student Loan Delinquency 85
Auto Loan Delinquency 63
Credit Card Delinquency 91
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 72
Community Vulnerability 80.3
Uninsured Rate 95
Disability Rate 66
Housing Cost Burden 45.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 15
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 18
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 39
Homeownership Rate 81
Rent-to-Income Ratio 74
Employment & Wages 33.8
Unemployment Rate 49
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 35
Business Formation Rate 17

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Wilkes County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Wilkes County
Wilkes County, GA 64.8 Elevated —
McDuffie County, GA 70.3 Serious +5.5
Elbert County, GA 69.8 Serious +5.0
Taliaferro County, GA 68.9 Serious +4.0
Lincoln County, GA 61.1 Elevated -3.7
Warren County, GA 59.4 Elevated -5.4
Oglethorpe County, GA 53.1 Elevated -11.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Wilkes County
Jones County, NC 64.9 Elevated +0.1
St. Clair County, MO 64.7 Elevated -0.1
Modoc County, CA 65.0 Elevated +0.2
Claiborne County, MS 64.7 Elevated -0.2
Crowley County, CO 65.0 Serious +0.2

Download Data

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

Find Help in Wilkes 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 Wilkes 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 Wilkes County, Georgia?

    Wilkes County has a County Distress Index score of 64.8 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 510th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 76th in Georgia out of 159 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Wilkes County?

    The primary driver of distress in Wilkes County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 82.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Wilkes County compare to neighboring counties?

    Wilkes County (64.8) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: McDuffie County, GA (70.3); Elbert County, GA (69.8); Taliaferro County, GA (68.9).

  • 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 Wilkes County?

    Wilkes County, Georgia has a population of approximately 9,518 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.