Counties in Georgia by poverty rate

Calhoun County had the highest poverty rate of 159 counties in 2019, at 35.9%. Forsyth County had the lowest, at 4.5%. The median was 18.4% and the figure for Georgia was 13.5%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest35.9Calhoun County
Median18.4159 counties
Georgia13.5History

Top 40 counties, 2019

CSVChart (SVG)

Calhoun CountyCalhoun County: 35.9 %35.9Stewart CountyStewart County: 34.7 %34.7Wheeler CountyWheeler County: 34.2 %34.2Treutlen CountyTreutlen County: 31.6 %31.6Hancock CountyHancock County: 31.2 %31.2Mitchell CountyMitchell County: 30.7 %30.7Macon CountyMacon County: 29.4 %29.4Wilcox CountyWilcox County: 29.4 %29.4Jenkins CountyJenkins County: 29 %29Clay CountyClay County: 28.8 %28.8Dooly CountyDooly County: 28.2 %28.2Terrell CountyTerrell County: 28.2 %28.2Turner CountyTurner County: 28 %28Telfair CountyTelfair County: 27.7 %27.7Dougherty CountyDougherty County: 27.6 %27.6Early CountyEarly County: 27.3 %27.3Crisp CountyCrisp County: 26.7 %26.7Sumter CountySumter County: 26.7 %26.7Tattnall CountyTattnall County: 26.5 %26.5Warren CountyWarren County: 26.5 %26.5Ware CountyWare County: 26.3 %26.3Charlton CountyCharlton County: 25.9 %25.9Clarke CountyClarke County: 25.7 %25.7Randolph CountyRandolph County: 25.3 %25.3Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 25.1 %25.1Baker CountyBaker County: 24.8 %24.8Johnson CountyJohnson County: 24.2 %24.2Evans CountyEvans County: 24.1 %24.1Screven CountyScreven County: 24.1 %24.1Laurens CountyLaurens County: 23.9 %23.9Burke CountyBurke County: 23.6 %23.6Decatur CountyDecatur County: 23.4 %23.4Atkinson CountyAtkinson County: 23.2 %23.2Bibb CountyBibb County: 23.2 %23.2Candler CountyCandler County: 23.1 %23.1Baldwin CountyBaldwin County: 22.9 %22.9Taylor CountyTaylor County: 22.9 %22.9Ben Hill CountyBen Hill County: 22.8 %22.8Quitman CountyQuitman County: 22.8 %22.8Seminole CountySeminole County: 22.6 %22.6
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCounties2019 (%)Change on 2018
1Calhoun County35.9-1.3 pts
2Stewart County34.7-3.2 pts
3Wheeler County34.2-5.4 pts
4Treutlen County31.6+5.3 pts
5Hancock County31.2+0.5 pts
6Mitchell County30.7+1.4 pts
7Macon County29.4-1.1 pts
7Wilcox County29.4-1.4 pts
9Jenkins County29-2.8 pts
10Clay County28.8-1 pts
11Dooly County28.2-0.9 pts
11Terrell County28.2+0.4 pts
13Turner County28+0.1 pts
14Telfair County27.7-4.2 pts
15Dougherty County27.6-1.9 pts
16Early County27.3+0.8 pts
17Crisp County26.7-0.7 pts
17Sumter County26.7+1 pts
19Tattnall County26.5+0.9 pts
19Warren County26.5+0.8 pts
21Ware County26.3+2.7 pts
22Charlton County25.9+0.3 pts
23Clarke County25.7-1.3 pts
24Randolph County25.3-5.5 pts
25Jefferson County25.1+2.8 pts
26Baker County24.8+1.9 pts
27Johnson County24.2-5.8 pts
28Evans County24.1-2.5 pts
28Screven County24.1-1.8 pts
30Laurens County23.9-0.7 pts
31Burke County23.6+1.6 pts
32Decatur County23.4+0.2 pts
33Atkinson County23.2-2.9 pts
33Bibb County23.2-1.5 pts
35Candler County23.1-1.5 pts
36Baldwin County22.9-0.9 pts
36Taylor County22.90 pts
38Ben Hill County22.8-3.4 pts
38Quitman County22.8-2.7 pts
40Seminole County22.6-2.8 pts
41Taliaferro County22.5-2.1 pts
42Meriwether County22.2-2.2 pts
43Clinch County22-3.8 pts
44Brooks County21.9-2.6 pts
44Bulloch County21.9-1 pts
44Colquitt County21.9-2 pts
47Grady County21.7+1.7 pts
47Richmond County21.7-0.2 pts
49Echols County21.6-2.8 pts
50Tift County21.5+1.9 pts
51Cook County21.4-3.1 pts
51Washington County21.4-4.5 pts
53Miller County21.3-1.1 pts
54Jeff Davis County21.2+0.6 pts
55Marion County21.1-1.7 pts
56Appling County20.9-1 pts
56Emanuel County20.9-4.2 pts
58Pulaski County20.7-3.2 pts
59Dodge County20.6-5.9 pts
59Elbert County20.6+2.1 pts
61Irwin County20.5-3.8 pts
62Lowndes County20.4-5.5 pts
63Worth County20.3-0.2 pts
64Coffee County20.2-3.7 pts
65Berrien County20.1-1.7 pts
66Peach County19.8-4.2 pts
67Talbot County19.6-5.2 pts
67Wilkes County19.6-0.7 pts
69Montgomery County19.4-2.7 pts
70Bacon County19.2-3.6 pts
70Toombs County19.2-5.7 pts
70Troup County19.2-1 pts
73Upson County19.1-2.5 pts
74Twiggs County19-2.3 pts
75McIntosh County18.7-2.8 pts
76Bleckley County18.5-0.2 pts
76Chattahoochee County18.5+1.2 pts
76Lanier County18.5-1.8 pts
79Muscogee County18.4-1.7 pts
79Wayne County18.4-0.2 pts
79Webster County18.4-4.3 pts
82McDuffie County18-1.9 pts
82Thomas County18-2.2 pts
84Spalding County17.7+0.4 pts
85Chattooga County17.4-2.1 pts
86Franklin County17.3+0.9 pts
86Lincoln County17.3+0.1 pts
88Wilkinson County17-6.3 pts
89Glascock County16.9-0.6 pts
90Heard County16.7-0.4 pts
91Floyd County16.4-4.3 pts
91Pierce County16.4-1.7 pts
93Polk County16.2-5.6 pts
94Brantley County16.1-2.2 pts
95Clayton County16-1.6 pts
96Schley County15.9-2.2 pts
97Madison County15.6-0.5 pts
98Glynn County15.4-1.2 pts
99Crawford County15.3-3.2 pts
100Habersham County15.2+0.3 pts
101Putnam County15.1-1 pts
102Greene County15-4.3 pts
102Stephens County15-1.3 pts
104Carroll County14.9-1.9 pts
105Chatham County14.8+0.4 pts
105Lamar County14.8-2.5 pts
107Butts County14.7-5 pts
107Walker County14.7-0.8 pts
109Gilmer County14.6-2.8 pts
109Hart County14.6-0.4 pts
111Liberty County14.5-1.6 pts
111Lumpkin County14.5-0.4 pts
111Murray County14.5-0.7 pts
114Haralson County14.4-1.5 pts
115Long County14.2-2.6 pts
116Camden County13.8-2 pts
116Fulton County13.8+0.3 pts
118Dade County13.5-0.1 pts
118Hall County13.5+0.3 pts
120Rabun County13-1.2 pts
121DeKalb County12.9-1.4 pts
122Banks County12.8-0.2 pts
122Jones County12.8-1.7 pts
122Oglethorpe County12.8-1 pts
125Towns County12.7-3.3 pts
125Whitfield County12.7-1.5 pts
127Bartow County12.5+0.3 pts
128Jasper County12.4-3 pts
129Gordon County12.3-4.5 pts
130Fannin County12.1-4.7 pts
130Rockdale County12.1-1.1 pts
132Union County11.6-2.2 pts
133Newton County11.2-3.6 pts
134Morgan County11.1-1.6 pts
135Houston County11-1.1 pts
136Douglas County10.9-1.7 pts
136White County10.9-3.2 pts
138Walton County10.8-1.1 pts
139Monroe County10.6-2.4 pts
140Jackson County10.3+1.6 pts
140Pickens County10.3-0.7 pts
142Catoosa County10-1.9 pts
143Barrow County9.7+0.2 pts
144Lee County9.3-3.1 pts
145Gwinnett County9.20 pts
146Effingham County9.1+0.8 pts
147Coweta County9-1.2 pts
148Dawson County8.8+0.1 pts
149Pike County8.7-1.9 pts
150Cobb County8.3-0.8 pts
151Henry County8.1+0.6 pts
152Bryan County7.8-0.8 pts
153Paulding County6.8-1 pts
154Cherokee County6.5-0.9 pts
154Harris County6.5-2.2 pts
156Columbia County5.6-1.5 pts
156Oconee County5.6-0.1 pts
158Fayette County5.4+0.4 pts
159Forsyth County4.5-0.5 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/2019/2019-state-and-county/est19all.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?

Calhoun County, with 35.9% in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest poverty rate?

Forsyth County, with 4.5% in 2019.

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