What is the poverty rate in Georgia?
Refreshed monthly
The poverty rate was about 12.6% of Georgia’s population as of 2024. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2024, 1,373,284 people in Georgia were considered in poverty.
12.6%
of the population (2024)
1.37M
people living under the poverty line (2024)
The state's poverty rate was 12.6% in 2024, the lowest based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010. It was 1 percentage point lower than the previous year. Georgia's poverty rate hit a peak in 2012 of 19.2%.
In 2024, 12.6% of Georgia's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2024
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2024, 1,373,284 people living in Georgia were in poverty — down 25.7% from the 2012 peak of 1,848,533.
In 2024, 1.37M people in Georgia were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2024
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
What is the child poverty rate in Georgia?
From 2014 to 2024, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Georgia decreased from 26.3% to 16.3%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 16.7% to 11.3%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 10.4% to 12.3%.
In 2024, 16.3% of children in Georgia were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2014–2024
How does poverty differ by race in Georgia?
Among racial or ethnic groups in Georgia during 2024, five had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: American Indian and Alaska Native, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race), some other race, and two or more races.
Three had a lower than average poverty rate: Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the some other race population shifted the most, decreasing from 31.7% in 2014 to 18.7% in 2024.
In Georgia, the poverty rate for the some other race population decreased from 31.7% in 2014 to 18.7% in 2024.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2014–2024
What counties in Georgia have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Georgia counties ranged from 4.5% in Forsyth County to 33% in Terrell County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Fulton County — was 12.9%.
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Georgia counties ranged from 4.5% to 33.0%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2023)
| 1. | Terrell County | 33.0% |
| 2. | Hancock County | 31.5% |
| 3. | Telfair County | 31.0% |
| 4. | Baker County | 29.4% |
| 5. | Taylor County | 29.4% |
| 6. | Stewart County | 27.8% |
| 7. | Lanier County | 27.7% |
| 8. | Randolph County | 26.8% |
| 9. | Jeff Davis County | 26.6% |
| 10. | Dougherty County | 26.4% |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
