Data / Rankings / Poverty rate (US official measure) / Counties in Georgia

Counties in Georgia by poverty rate

Wheeler County had the highest poverty rate of 159 counties in 2017, at 37.4%. Forsyth County had the lowest, at 5.3%. The median was 19.9% and the figure for Georgia was 15.1%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest37.4Wheeler County
Lowest5.3Forsyth County
Median19.9159 counties
Georgia15.1History

Top 40 counties, 2017

CSVChart (SVG)

Wheeler CountyWheeler County: 37.4 %37.4Stewart CountyStewart County: 36.2 %36.2Calhoun CountyCalhoun County: 35.1 %35.1Telfair CountyTelfair County: 34.6 %34.6Randolph CountyRandolph County: 33.6 %33.6Clay CountyClay County: 33.1 %33.1Terrell CountyTerrell County: 33 %33Jenkins CountyJenkins County: 32.8 %32.8Wilcox CountyWilcox County: 30.7 %30.7Hancock CountyHancock County: 30.3 %30.3Crisp CountyCrisp County: 29.7 %29.7Macon CountyMacon County: 29.6 %29.6Seminole CountySeminole County: 29.2 %29.2Johnson CountyJohnson County: 29 %29Bacon CountyBacon County: 28.2 %28.2Dougherty CountyDougherty County: 28.2 %28.2Evans CountyEvans County: 28 %28Warren CountyWarren County: 27.9 %27.9Clinch CountyClinch County: 27.6 %27.6Dooly CountyDooly County: 27.6 %27.6Emanuel CountyEmanuel County: 27.6 %27.6Turner CountyTurner County: 27.6 %27.6Mitchell CountyMitchell County: 27.5 %27.5Treutlen CountyTreutlen County: 27.4 %27.4Tattnall CountyTattnall County: 27.3 %27.3Early CountyEarly County: 26.7 %26.7Washington CountyWashington County: 26.7 %26.7Clarke CountyClarke County: 26.6 %26.6Echols CountyEchols County: 26.5 %26.5Taliaferro CountyTaliaferro County: 26.5 %26.5Quitman CountyQuitman County: 26.1 %26.1Charlton CountyCharlton County: 25.6 %25.6Colquitt CountyColquitt County: 25.6 %25.6Sumter CountySumter County: 25.5 %25.5Lowndes CountyLowndes County: 25.3 %25.3Baldwin CountyBaldwin County: 25.2 %25.2Bibb CountyBibb County: 25 %25Coffee CountyCoffee County: 24.9 %24.9Candler CountyCandler County: 24.7 %24.7Baker CountyBaker County: 24.6 %24.6
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCounties2017 (%)Change on 2016
1Wheeler County37.4-1.7 pts
2Stewart County36.2-3 pts
3Calhoun County35.1+2.1 pts
4Telfair County34.6+3.8 pts
5Randolph County33.6+3.1 pts
6Clay County33.1-2.1 pts
7Terrell County33+1.9 pts
8Jenkins County32.8-1.4 pts
9Wilcox County30.7-0.3 pts
10Hancock County30.3-3.2 pts
11Crisp County29.7-0.6 pts
12Macon County29.6-2.5 pts
13Seminole County29.2+5.8 pts
14Johnson County29-0.4 pts
15Bacon County28.2+5.3 pts
15Dougherty County28.2-2.3 pts
17Evans County28+3.6 pts
18Warren County27.9-0.3 pts
19Clinch County27.6+1.6 pts
19Dooly County27.6-0.9 pts
19Emanuel County27.6+0.2 pts
19Turner County27.6-2.8 pts
23Mitchell County27.5-2.4 pts
24Treutlen County27.4+0.3 pts
25Tattnall County27.3-2.5 pts
26Early County26.7-4.7 pts
26Washington County26.7-0.2 pts
28Clarke County26.6-1.3 pts
29Echols County26.5+3.3 pts
29Taliaferro County26.5-2.3 pts
31Quitman County26.1-1 pts
32Charlton County25.6-1.6 pts
32Colquitt County25.6+0.6 pts
34Sumter County25.5-3.4 pts
35Lowndes County25.3+3.2 pts
36Baldwin County25.2-0.8 pts
37Bibb County25-1.3 pts
38Coffee County24.9+1.9 pts
39Candler County24.7-0.3 pts
40Baker County24.6-3.2 pts
40Bulloch County24.6+0.6 pts
42Ben Hill County24.5-1.9 pts
43Atkinson County24.2-2.2 pts
44Jefferson County24-1.2 pts
45Marion County23.9+0.5 pts
46Miller County23.8+0.7 pts
47Brooks County23.7-1.2 pts
47Richmond County23.7-1.9 pts
47Taylor County23.7-1 pts
50Wilkinson County23.5+2.6 pts
51Burke County23.1-3.6 pts
52Elbert County22.9+0.6 pts
53Wilkes County22.8-0.1 pts
54Laurens County22.6-3 pts
54Muscogee County22.6+1.1 pts
56Pulaski County22.5-2.5 pts
57Toombs County22.3-1.1 pts
58Appling County22.2+2.5 pts
58Talbot County22.2-1.3 pts
58Twiggs County22.2-1.3 pts
61Irwin County22-1.6 pts
61Ware County22-3.5 pts
63Decatur County21.9-8 pts
64Dodge County21.8-3.4 pts
65Tift County21.7-0.4 pts
66Troup County21.6+1.3 pts
66Worth County21.6+0.5 pts
68Cook County21.3-3.8 pts
69Jeff Davis County21.2-2.7 pts
69McDuffie County21.2-1.6 pts
71Lanier County20.5-2.3 pts
71Montgomery County20.5-2.2 pts
71Screven County20.5-7.1 pts
71Upson County20.5+0.7 pts
75Bleckley County20.3-1.4 pts
75Grady County20.3-0.7 pts
77Chattooga County20.2+0.1 pts
77Wayne County20.2-2 pts
79Webster County20-0.8 pts
80Meriwether County19.9-1.3 pts
80Spalding County19.9-2.5 pts
82Chattahoochee County19.6-1.9 pts
82Peach County19.6-1.8 pts
84McIntosh County19.5-1.1 pts
85Pierce County19.4+2.1 pts
86Floyd County19.2+3.4 pts
87Long County19.1+0.5 pts
88Brantley County19-1.8 pts
88Polk County19+0.4 pts
90Hart County18.9+1.6 pts
90Heard County18.9-0.8 pts
92Franklin County18.7-2.7 pts
92Stephens County18.7-2.1 pts
94Berrien County18.6-3.7 pts
95Butts County18.3+1.3 pts
96Lincoln County18.1-1 pts
97Schley County18-0.5 pts
98Thomas County17.9-3.2 pts
99Rabun County17.8+0.7 pts
100Crawford County17.6-1.7 pts
100Jasper County17.6+0.7 pts
102Glascock County17.3-1.2 pts
103Carroll County17.2+2.3 pts
103Murray County17.2-0.9 pts
103Putnam County17.2-1.2 pts
106Glynn County17-2.1 pts
106Greene County17-1.2 pts
108Liberty County16.8+1.5 pts
109Lamar County16.5-1.7 pts
109Whitfield County16.5+0.4 pts
111Chatham County16.3-0.3 pts
111Clayton County16.3-4.5 pts
113Madison County15.9+1 pts
114Walker County15.6-3 pts
115Union County15.40 pts
116DeKalb County15.3-2.2 pts
116Haralson County15.3-3.2 pts
118Dade County15.2-0.4 pts
119Fulton County14.8-1.2 pts
120Gilmer County14.4-0.8 pts
121Rockdale County14.1-0.6 pts
122Gordon County14-2.1 pts
123Lumpkin County13.9-2.3 pts
124Towns County13.8-1.3 pts
125Fannin County13.6-0.5 pts
126Banks County13.5-2 pts
127Newton County13.4-4.1 pts
127Oglethorpe County13.4-2 pts
129Habersham County13.3-2.3 pts
129Hall County13.3-0.4 pts
129Monroe County13.3+1.1 pts
129White County13.3-1 pts
133Bartow County13.2-1.9 pts
134Houston County13-1.9 pts
135Jones County12.9+0.6 pts
136Camden County12.5-2.5 pts
137Walton County12.3-0.5 pts
138Barrow County12-0.9 pts
138Catoosa County12-0.9 pts
138Morgan County12-1.1 pts
141Douglas County11.8-1.1 pts
142Jackson County11.5-1.2 pts
143Lee County10.9-0.3 pts
144Pickens County10.8-0.5 pts
145Gwinnett County10.7-0.6 pts
145Pike County10.7-1 pts
147Bryan County10.4+0.8 pts
147Coweta County10.4+0.5 pts
149Effingham County9.8-0.5 pts
149Henry County9.8+0.2 pts
151Cobb County9.5-0.5 pts
152Dawson County9.4-0.8 pts
153Harris County8.3-0.4 pts
153Paulding County8.3-0.3 pts
155Cherokee County7.50 pts
156Columbia County6.6-0.6 pts
157Oconee County6.5-0.3 pts
158Fayette County5.7-0.3 pts
159Forsyth County5.3-0.4 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People living in families or alone with income below the official US poverty thresholds, as a percentage of people whose poverty status can be determined. United States: Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), all ages.

Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_poverty_rate.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people of all ages in poverty, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2017/2017-state-and-county/est17all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in Georgia by poverty rate using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"poverty_rate","level":"province","within":"Georgia","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=poverty_rate&level=province&within=Georgia&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest poverty rate?

Wheeler County, with 37.4% in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest poverty rate?

Forsyth County, with 5.3% in 2017.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people of all ages in poverty, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Poverty rate (US official measure): other rankings

Counties in Georgia: more rankings