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

Counties in Georgia by poverty rate

Calhoun County had the highest poverty rate of 159 counties in 2021, at 34%. Forsyth County had the lowest, at 5.3%. The median was 19.1% and the figure for Georgia was 14.2%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest34Calhoun County
Lowest5.3Forsyth County
Median19.1159 counties
Georgia14.2History

Top 40 counties, 2021

CSVChart (SVG)

Calhoun CountyCalhoun County: 34 %34Wheeler CountyWheeler County: 33.2 %33.2Stewart CountyStewart County: 31.4 %31.4Hancock CountyHancock County: 30.5 %30.5Macon CountyMacon County: 30.3 %30.3Telfair CountyTelfair County: 30.2 %30.2Randolph CountyRandolph County: 28.1 %28.1Tattnall CountyTattnall County: 28 %28Sumter CountySumter County: 27.9 %27.9Wilcox CountyWilcox County: 27.6 %27.6Jenkins CountyJenkins County: 27.4 %27.4Johnson CountyJohnson County: 26.7 %26.7Terrell CountyTerrell County: 26.6 %26.6Turner CountyTurner County: 26.2 %26.2Dougherty CountyDougherty County: 26.1 %26.1Early CountyEarly County: 26.1 %26.1Coffee CountyCoffee County: 26 %26Baker CountyBaker County: 25.9 %25.9Dodge CountyDodge County: 25.6 %25.6Warren CountyWarren County: 25.6 %25.6Mitchell CountyMitchell County: 24.7 %24.7Wayne CountyWayne County: 24.7 %24.7Charlton CountyCharlton County: 24.6 %24.6Bibb CountyBibb County: 24.5 %24.5Quitman CountyQuitman County: 24.5 %24.5Baldwin CountyBaldwin County: 24.4 %24.4Lowndes CountyLowndes County: 24.4 %24.4Clay CountyClay County: 24.3 %24.3Ware CountyWare County: 24.3 %24.3Crisp CountyCrisp County: 24.2 %24.2Miller CountyMiller County: 24.2 %24.2Emanuel CountyEmanuel County: 24.1 %24.1Clinch CountyClinch County: 23.9 %23.9Evans CountyEvans County: 23.9 %23.9Atkinson CountyAtkinson County: 23.8 %23.8Decatur CountyDecatur County: 23.8 %23.8Brooks CountyBrooks County: 23.5 %23.5Bacon CountyBacon County: 23.4 %23.4Seminole CountySeminole County: 23.3 %23.3Talbot CountyTalbot County: 23.3 %23.3
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021 (%)Change on 2020
1Calhoun County34-0.4 pts
2Wheeler County33.2-2.4 pts
3Stewart County31.4+0.1 pts
4Hancock County30.5-0.2 pts
5Macon County30.3-0.8 pts
6Telfair County30.2+0.3 pts
7Randolph County28.1+0.7 pts
8Tattnall County28+7.3 pts
9Sumter County27.9+3.6 pts
10Wilcox County27.6-0.3 pts
11Jenkins County27.4-0.6 pts
12Johnson County26.7+0.8 pts
13Terrell County26.6-1.2 pts
14Turner County26.2+4 pts
15Dougherty County26.1-1.3 pts
15Early County26.1+2.1 pts
17Coffee County26+2.9 pts
18Baker County25.9+2.2 pts
19Dodge County25.6+4.2 pts
19Warren County25.6+2.2 pts
21Mitchell County24.7-13.5 pts
21Wayne County24.7+5 pts
23Charlton County24.6-0.9 pts
24Bibb County24.5-3.5 pts
24Quitman County24.5+1.4 pts
26Baldwin County24.4+1.8 pts
26Lowndes County24.4+4.1 pts
28Clay County24.3+0.2 pts
28Ware County24.3-1.7 pts
30Crisp County24.2-0.3 pts
30Miller County24.2+4.4 pts
32Emanuel County24.1-2.3 pts
33Clinch County23.9+3.5 pts
33Evans County23.9+4.3 pts
35Atkinson County23.8+2.2 pts
35Decatur County23.8-1.8 pts
37Brooks County23.5+2.9 pts
38Bacon County23.4+2.3 pts
39Seminole County23.3+0.4 pts
39Talbot County23.3+2.5 pts
41Taliaferro County23-0.2 pts
42Toombs County22.9+0.7 pts
43Taylor County22.7-0.5 pts
44Washington County22.6+1.3 pts
45Dooly County22.5-4.5 pts
46Colquitt County22.4+2 pts
46Grady County22.4+3.7 pts
48Ben Hill County22.1-0.2 pts
49Candler County22+1.9 pts
50Laurens County21.9+1.2 pts
51Treutlen County21.8-1.6 pts
52Meriwether County21.7-0.4 pts
53Echols County21.6+1 pts
54Clarke County21.5-3.1 pts
55Irwin County21.4+0.5 pts
55McIntosh County21.4+1.5 pts
55Richmond County21.4-4.1 pts
55Tift County21.4+0.9 pts
59Bulloch County21.3+0.6 pts
59Marion County21.3+0.7 pts
59Spalding County21.3+3.4 pts
62Wilkinson County21.2+1.1 pts
63Twiggs County21.1+1.1 pts
64Pulaski County20.9+0.5 pts
65Montgomery County20.8+1.5 pts
66Burke County20.7+0.7 pts
67Worth County20.6+2.4 pts
68Muscogee County20.4-0.7 pts
68Webster County20.4+1.8 pts
70Jefferson County20.3-0.8 pts
70Screven County20.3-0.4 pts
72Chattooga County20.2+1.4 pts
73Cook County20.1+0.6 pts
73Wilkes County20.1-0.1 pts
75Lanier County19.8+0.2 pts
76McDuffie County19.6+2.9 pts
77Peach County19.5+0.3 pts
78Jeff Davis County19.4-0.6 pts
79Elbert County19.2-4.6 pts
80Thomas County19.1+2.9 pts
81Bleckley County19+0.5 pts
82Clayton County18.9+2.1 pts
83Upson County18.8+3.6 pts
84Brantley County18.4+0.6 pts
85Appling County18.2-1.7 pts
86Liberty County18.1+3.4 pts
87Polk County17.7+1.4 pts
88Berrien County17.2-1.7 pts
88Heard County17.2+0.8 pts
90Stephens County16.7-0.2 pts
91Chattahoochee County16.5+0.9 pts
91Franklin County16.5+0.2 pts
91Glynn County16.5+1 pts
91Lincoln County16.50 pts
95Carroll County16.3-0.5 pts
95Crawford County16.3+0.2 pts
97Floyd County16.2-2.2 pts
97Putnam County16.2-0.1 pts
99Schley County16.1+1.1 pts
100Hart County15.8+1.4 pts
101Murray County15.7-0.2 pts
102Troup County15.6-0.8 pts
103Chatham County15.5-0.1 pts
104Pierce County15.4-1.1 pts
105Glascock County15.3-0.2 pts
106Madison County15.1+0.6 pts
107Haralson County14.9-0.6 pts
108Jasper County14.7+0.7 pts
109Long County14.6-2.1 pts
110DeKalb County14.5-1.3 pts
111Walker County14.2+0.1 pts
112Lamar County14.1+0.3 pts
113Butts County14-6.8 pts
113Gilmer County140 pts
113Greene County14-1.3 pts
116Fulton County13.7+0.7 pts
117Lumpkin County13.6+1.1 pts
117Rockdale County13.6+0.9 pts
117Towns County13.6+0.4 pts
120Oglethorpe County13.40 pts
120Whitfield County13.4+0.4 pts
122Habersham County13.3-0.4 pts
123Fannin County13.2-2.4 pts
124Banks County12.8+1.2 pts
124Douglas County12.8+1.3 pts
124Gordon County12.8+1 pts
127Jones County12.5+0.9 pts
127Newton County12.5-1.9 pts
127Rabun County12.5-1.3 pts
127White County12.50 pts
131Hall County12.1-0.6 pts
132Union County12-0.9 pts
133Jackson County11.9+2.8 pts
134Camden County11.8+2.4 pts
135Monroe County11.7-1.1 pts
136Bartow County11.6+1.4 pts
136Catoosa County11.6+1.5 pts
136Houston County11.6+0.8 pts
139Dade County11.3-1.7 pts
140Morgan County10.9-0.7 pts
141Gwinnett County10.8+0.4 pts
142Walton County10.7-0.7 pts
143Pickens County10.3-0.2 pts
144Lee County9.8-0.3 pts
145Pike County9.7-0.4 pts
146Barrow County9.6-0.5 pts
146Cobb County9.6+0.4 pts
148Henry County9.5+0.8 pts
149Effingham County9.2+1.1 pts
150Dawson County9+0.3 pts
151Harris County8.2-0.8 pts
152Bryan County8.1+0.1 pts
152Coweta County8.1-0.5 pts
154Paulding County7.6+0.3 pts
155Columbia County7.3+0.6 pts
156Cherokee County7+0.3 pts
157Fayette County6.5+1.2 pts
158Oconee County60 pts
159Forsyth County5.3+0.2 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/2021/2021-state-and-county/est21all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Rank Counties in Georgia by poverty rate using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest poverty rate?

Calhoun County, with 34% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest poverty rate?

Forsyth County, with 5.3% in 2021.

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