Americans on the whole were doing well financially heading into 2020, with major markers like unemployment reaching 50-year lows. The pandemic changed all that: During the second quarter of the 2020 fiscal year, our nation’s real GDP fell by a whopping 31.4%, a number that hasn’t been seen since the Great Depression. Since then the GDP has recovered, the first quarter of 2022 was 11% above the fourth quarter of 2019.
While GDP has recovered since the height of the pandemic, wage growth has not kept pace with inflation. In 2021 average hourly wages increased 4.7% while there was 7% inflation, meaning the worker’s purchasing power dropped by 2.4%.
Where you live can make a big impact on your financial situation. The highest earning county in the U.S. earns $147,111, while the lowest earns $22,292. Stacker compiled a list of the lowest-earning counties in Georgia using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the Census’ 2020 5-year estimate median household income.
Rivers Langley; SaveRivers // Wikimedia Commons
#5. Webster County
– Median household income: $31,629
— 48.3% below state average, 51.3% below national average
– Households earning over $100k: 12.5%
— #2,809 highest among all counties nationwide
– Households earning less than $15k: 24.3%
— #66 highest among all counties nationwide
Rivers Langley; SaveRivers // Wikimedia Commons
#4. Randolph County
– Median household income: $29,400
— 52.0% below state average, 54.8% below national average
– Households earning over $100k: 4.2%
— #3,139 highest among all counties nationwide
– Households earning less than $15k: 21.9%
— #30 highest among all counties nationwide
Bubba73 // Wikimedia Commons
#3. Wheeler County
– Median household income: $28,864
— 52.9% below state average, 55.6% below national average
– Households earning over $100k: 6.5%
— #3,126 highest among all counties nationwide
– Households earning less than $15k: 27.3%
— #28 highest among all counties nationwide
Rivers Langley; SaveRivers // Wikimedia Commons
#2. Taylor County
– Median household income: $28,550
— 53.4% below state average, 56.1% below national average
– Households earning over $100k: 9.6%
— #3,043 highest among all counties nationwide
– Households earning less than $15k: 28.8%
— #26 highest among all counties nationwide
Blastoids // Wikimedia Commons
#1. Jenkins County
– Median household income: $25,712
— 58.0% below state average, 60.4% below national average
– Households earning over $100k: 5.2%
— #3,137 highest among all counties nationwide
– Households earning less than $15k: 32.6%
— #11 highest among all counties nationwide
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