Clarke County, Georgia
Above the national median for severe rent burden (50%+).
Main Findings
Clarke County, Georgia is more distressed than 78% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: 33% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis) and its lowest is Labor.
- 94th of 159 counties in Georgia on the County Distress Index — 78 · high county distress, more distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
- 33% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent (U.S. median 18%). Severe rent burden (50%+) at the 99th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Auto loan delinquency at 9% — national median 5%, ranked at the 87th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Poverty rate at 24% — national median 13%, ranked at the 94th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024).
- Debt in collections at 28% — national median 23%, ranked at the 69th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 66-point drop to Oconee County marks where the Georgia distress corridor ends.
Clarke County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position.
The CDI gives this county a high county distress label. The rank belongs beside the score because the two answer different questions: score intensity and national position. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024), Clarke County's disability rate indicator is at the 16th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 74th percentile. The gap stands out against poverty rate. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Athens.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Clarke County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Clarke County's value shown alongside GA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Clarke | GA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 77 · Rank 635 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 9% | 8% | 5% | 87th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 8% | 5% | 63rd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 32% | 36% | 23% | 79th | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 67 · Rank 827 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 28% | 36% | 23% | 69th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 168 | 255 | 126 | 66th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 96 · Rank 29 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 28% | 24% | 21% | 94th | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 33% | 19% | 18% | 99th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 25 · Rank 2,552 of 3,144 | |||||
| Adults 25-54 not working Share of adults aged 25 to 54 without a job, leaving out residents of prisons and other institutions (service members count as working) | 18% | 24% | 21% | 31st | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Unemployment (average of monthly rates) Share of labor force unemployed, averaged over the monthly rates published for September 2025 to August 2026 (no figures published for October 2025) | 3% | 3% | 4% | 18th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 69 · Rank 819 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 24% | 24% | 17% | 79th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 12% | 17% | 16% | 16th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 24% | 17% | 13% | 94th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 11% | 13% | 8% | 74th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index scores household financial distress from 0 to 100 for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A county's score is the share of U.S. counties it is more distressed than. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the five domains are averaged, and that average is ranked against every other county to give the score.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), Equifax data retrieved via FRED (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2024 to 2027 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Clarke County data.
Draft wire copy 130-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
ATHENS, Ga. — Clarke County is more distressed than 78% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Clarke scores 78 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 78% of U.S. counties; its score label is high county distress. Within Georgia, Clarke ranks 94th of 159 counties.
The index, which draws on 14 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies debt burden (housing basis) as the primary driver in Clarke. 33% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Clarke County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Clarke County's distress score?
How does Clarke County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Clarke County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →