John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
Among all government transfer programs, Income Maintenance was the second smallest contributor in the county. Social Security was the largest contributor, totaling $492.2 million, equating to $2,902 per capita and making up 27.6% of total transfers.
Comparatively, Income Maintenance transfers across Georgia amounted to $15.82 billion, ranking second lowest among all transfer types within the state. This translates to an average of $1,449 per capita, or 14.5% of total government transfers. Including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $108.74 billion, accounting for 17.6% of residents’ total income, with an average of $9,964 per resident.
Medicare was the second largest contributor in Houston County in 2022, accounting for $385.38 million, averaging $2,272 per capita, representing 21.6% of transfers. Medicaid transfers provided another $179.73 million, averaging $1,060 per capita and comprising 10.1% of government support, making them the smallest contributors.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
With 13.6% of the population aged 65 and older, Houston County has a demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Despite this aid, the total per capita income in Houston County, excluding government transfers was $37,584, which is noticeably below the county's total income of $48,082, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Houston County saw no change in its Income Maintenance transfer dependency.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans' income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Houston County, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 3.5% (or $903 per capita) in 1970 to 21.8% (or $10,498 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton County | 1 | 8.3% | 12.7% | 2.5% | 2.1% | 1.2% | 1.4% | $8,299 |
| Gwinnett County | 2 | 14.2% | 11.3% | 4.4% | 3.3% | 1.4% | 2.3% | $7,234 |
| DeKalb County | 3 | 14.4% | 13.8% | 4.3% | 3.6% | 2.2% | 2.5% | $9,044 |
| Cobb County | 4 | 11.5% | 13.7% | 4.3% | 2.9% | 1.1% | 1.3% | $8,013 |
| Chatham County | 5 | 19% | 16.8% | 6.2% | 4.5% | 2.4% | 2.5% | $10,781 |
| Clayton County | 6 | 27.8% | 10.7% | 7.1% | 4.7% | 4.6% | 7.1% | $9,121 |
| Richmond County | 7 | 30.1% | 15.2% | 8% | 5.7% | 5.8% | 4.9% | $12,729 |
| Muscogee County | 8 | 26.6% | 14.8% | 7% | 5.3% | 3.9% | 4.2% | $12,794 |
| Cherokee County | 9 | 12.9% | 15.9% | 5.4% | 4% | 0.8% | 1% | $8,539 |
| Henry County | 10 | 19.6% | 12.5% | 6.4% | 4.5% | 1.5% | 3% | $9,213 |
| Bibb County | 11 | 30% | 16.6% | 7.9% | 7.7% | 5.6% | 5% | $13,879 |
| Hall County | 12 | 16.6% | 16.3% | 6.4% | 4.2% | 2% | 2.1% | $9,503 |
| Houston County | 13 | 21.8% | 13.6% | 6% | 4.7% | 2.2% | 3% | $10,498 |
| Columbia County | 14 | 17.2% | 15.1% | 5.8% | 3.5% | 0.9% | 1.4% | $10,146 |
| Forsyth County | 15 | 7.3% | 12.7% | 3.3% | 2% | 0.4% | 0.6% | $5,784 |
| Douglas County | 16 | 21.8% | 12.3% | 6.8% | 5.3% | 2.6% | 3.7% | $9,531 |
| Coweta County | 17 | 15.2% | 15.2% | 5.9% | 4.1% | 1.3% | 1.7% | $9,128 |
| Carroll County | 18 | 21.9% | 14.1% | 7.1% | 6% | 2.6% | 3.1% | $11,050 |
| Lowndes County | 19 | 25.1% | 13.2% | 6.7% | 5.4% | 4% | 4.2% | $11,034 |
| Paulding County | 20 | 15% | 11.7% | 5.8% | 3.2% | 1.4% | 2.2% | $7,197 |
| Fayette County | 21 | 13.7% | 20.1% | 5.8% | 3.9% | 0.7% | 1% | $10,318 |
| Dougherty County | 22 | 33.9% | 17.5% | 8.5% | 7.5% | 6.6% | 6.5% | $15,135 |
| Floyd County | 23 | 28.6% | 16.9% | 9.4% | 7.7% | 4.7% | 3.7% | $12,615 |
| Newton County | 24 | 24.3% | 13.4% | 7.9% | 5.9% | 2.8% | 4.4% | $10,124 |
| Bartow County | 25 | 20.4% | 14.9% | 7.2% | 5.5% | 2.7% | 2.7% | $9,915 |
| Walton County | 26 | 20.8% | 16.3% | 7.1% | 6.6% | 1.9% | 2.5% | $10,729 |
| Glynn County | 27 | 20.9% | 22.7% | 8.1% | 5.6% | 2.2% | 2.5% | $12,563 |
| Clarke County | 28 | 19.9% | 12.5% | 6.5% | 4.7% | 3% | 3.1% | $8,151 |
| Whitfield County | 29 | 21.9% | 14.9% | 7.5% | 5.5% | 3.5% | 3.4% | $9,918 |
| Rockdale County | 30 | 25.3% | 15.8% | 8.3% | 5.9% | 3% | 4.1% | $10,414 |
| Spalding County | 31 | 30.9% | 18.9% | 10.4% | 7.9% | 4.5% | 5% | $12,955 |
| Jackson County | 32 | 18.7% | 14.6% | 6.2% | 6.7% | 1.8% | 1.9% | $10,270 |
| Walker County | 33 | 29.5% | 19.5% | 10.1% | 8.8% | 4.2% | 3.5% | $12,497 |
| Troup County | 34 | 26.4% | 16% | 8.5% | 6.6% | 4.2% | 4.3% | $11,801 |
| Barrow County | 35 | 18.9% | 12.9% | 6.6% | 5.3% | 2% | 2.7% | $8,868 |
| Bulloch County | 36 | 22.8% | 12.4% | 6.6% | 5% | 3.1% | 3.7% | $8,759 |
| Liberty County | 37 | 26.7% | 10.2% | 5.7% | 3.6% | 2.8% | 4.6% | $10,546 |
| Catoosa County | 38 | 23.1% | 18.6% | 9.7% | 5.5% | 2.6% | 2.6% | $9,790 |
| Laurens County | 39 | 30.8% | 18.3% | 9.4% | 7.3% | 5.1% | 5.1% | $13,166 |
| Thomas County | 40 | 25.6% | 19.3% | 7.9% | 6.1% | 4.8% | 3.7% | $13,712 |
| Gordon County | 41 | 23.3% | 15.9% | 8.2% | 6.6% | 3.3% | 3.2% | $10,452 |
| Baldwin County | 42 | 32.8% | 17.5% | 9.7% | 7.4% | 8% | 4.1% | $13,879 |
| Effingham County | 43 | 18% | 12.5% | 6.4% | 4.1% | 1.7% | 2.2% | $8,697 |
| Camden County | 44 | 24.1% | 15.2% | 7.8% | 5.9% | 1.9% | 2.8% | $10,527 |
| Colquitt County | 45 | 31.3% | 16.2% | 8.2% | 9.1% | 5.6% | 5.2% | $12,898 |
| Polk County | 46 | 32% | 15.7% | 9.7% | 9.1% | 5.4% | 4.8% | $12,700 |
| Ware County | 47 | 39.1% | 17.7% | 9.6% | 10.2% | 7.3% | 6% | $15,017 |
| Habersham County | 48 | 27.2% | 18.9% | 10.4% | 7.6% | 2.9% | 3.1% | $10,924 |
| Tift County | 49 | 27.1% | 16.3% | 7.7% | 6.1% | 4.9% | 4.7% | $12,061 |
| Coffee County | 50 | 28.9% | 14.4% | 7.8% | 7.3% | 5.6% | 5.3% | $11,256 |
| Pickens County | 51 | 22.5% | 22.8% | 9.8% | 6.9% | 2.1% | 1.7% | $13,642 |
| Gilmer County | 52 | 30.3% | 27% | 12.7% | 8.3% | 3.3% | 2.8% | $13,738 |
| Bryan County | 53 | 16% | 11.1% | 4.8% | 3.4% | 1.2% | 1.7% | $9,203 |
| Murray County | 54 | 28.5% | 15.9% | 9.6% | 7.4% | 4.6% | 4.5% | $10,679 |
| Union County | 55 | 36.3% | 34.1% | 16.5% | 10.2% | 2.9% | 2.2% | $16,165 |
| Sumter County | 56 | 33.2% | 18.1% | 9.1% | 6.9% | 7% | 5.8% | $14,200 |
| Fannin County | 57 | 32.1% | 31.6% | 13.6% | 9.3% | 3.1% | 2.5% | $15,903 |
| Harris County | 58 | 18.4% | 19.4% | 7.1% | 4.4% | 1.3% | 1.5% | $10,793 |
| Peach County | 59 | 31.2% | 17.1% | 8% | 8.9% | 3.7% | 4.2% | $13,690 |
| White County | 60 | 27.2% | 23.3% | 10.6% | 8.4% | 2.5% | 2.4% | $13,427 |
| Stephens County | 61 | 32% | 21.2% | 10.9% | 9.6% | 4.5% | 4.2% | $14,358 |
| Lumpkin County | 62 | 23.4% | 18.4% | 8.6% | 6.4% | 2.4% | 2% | $10,986 |
| Haralson County | 63 | 27% | 15.7% | 8.6% | 6.6% | 4% | 3.6% | $12,173 |
| Wayne County | 64 | 31.9% | 16.1% | 10.1% | 8.1% | 5.1% | 4.8% | $12,063 |
| Upson County | 65 | 31.7% | 18.7% | 10.6% | 7.7% | 5.5% | 5% | $13,001 |
| Toombs County | 66 | 32.4% | 16.8% | 9.3% | 7.9% | 6.9% | 5.4% | $13,482 |
| Decatur County | 67 | 30% | 17.4% | 8.7% | 7.1% | 5.9% | 5.6% | $12,345 |
| Madison County | 68 | 24.1% | 17.8% | 8.7% | 6.2% | 3.5% | 3.2% | $11,179 |
| Oconee County | 69 | 10% | 17.2% | 4.6% | 2.8% | 0.6% | 0.7% | $7,954 |
| Hart County | 70 | 28% | 22.8% | 10.8% | 7.6% | 4% | 3.2% | $12,819 |
| Chattooga County | 71 | 37% | 19% | 12.2% | 10.5% | 5.7% | 5.2% | $13,707 |
| Lee County | 72 | 17.9% | 14.2% | 6.2% | 4% | 2% | 2.6% | $9,330 |
| Emanuel County | 73 | 35% | 16.4% | 9.7% | 7.5% | 8.1% | 5.9% | $13,658 |
| Dawson County | 74 | 17% | 20.1% | 6.6% | 5.7% | 1.2% | 1.4% | $10,381 |
| Butts County | 75 | 27.7% | 15.4% | 9.1% | 8.1% | 4% | 3.7% | $11,548 |
| Greene County | 76 | 20.1% | 30.8% | 9% | 5.7% | 2.1% | 1.7% | $15,265 |
| Putnam County | 77 | 24.3% | 25.1% | 10.1% | 6.6% | 2.5% | 2.8% | $13,236 |
| Monroe County | 78 | 19.1% | 19.3% | 8% | 4.4% | 2.6% | 2.1% | $10,334 |
| McDuffie County | 79 | 32.5% | 19.1% | 9.7% | 8.1% | 5.6% | 5.2% | $13,816 |
| Burke County | 80 | 30.3% | 17.7% | 9.3% | 6.5% | 6.2% | 5.4% | $12,298 |
| Franklin County | 81 | 27.7% | 19.3% | 10% | 7.1% | 4.2% | 3.7% | $12,225 |
| Meriwether County | 82 | 32.1% | 21.1% | 10.7% | 8.2% | 5.6% | 4.5% | $14,114 |
| Crisp County | 83 | 33% | 19.9% | 9.1% | 7.8% | 7.4% | 5.8% | $14,709 |
| Jones County | 84 | 23.5% | 18.2% | 9.8% | 4.9% | 3.5% | 2.9% | $10,133 |
| Mitchell County | 85 | 30.9% | 18.4% | 8.5% | 8.3% | 6.3% | 5.3% | $13,634 |
| Grady County | 86 | 28.6% | 19.2% | 9.5% | 7.2% | 4.5% | 4.7% | $11,011 |
| Elbert County | 87 | 34% | 21.4% | 11.5% | 9.1% | 5.8% | 4.7% | $14,440 |
| Washington County | 88 | 34% | 18.1% | 10.7% | 8.2% | 6.3% | 5.2% | $13,690 |
| Dodge County | 89 | 36.4% | 19.6% | 10.3% | 10.5% | 6.5% | 5.5% | $13,189 |
| Pierce County | 90 | 31% | 17.3% | 8.7% | 8.5% | 5% | 4.1% | $12,932 |
| Tattnall County | 91 | 29.3% | 15.7% | 8% | 6.9% | 6.1% | 4.7% | $10,755 |
| Rabun County | 92 | 28.4% | 28.9% | 12% | 8.4% | 2.9% | 2.3% | $14,896 |
| Morgan County | 93 | 19.5% | 20.7% | 7.7% | 5.7% | 2% | 2.1% | $11,759 |
| Worth County | 94 | 29.2% | 20.3% | 9.2% | 7.9% | 4.6% | 4.6% | $11,965 |
| Berrien County | 95 | 33.4% | 17.6% | 9.3% | 8.9% | 5.7% | 4.8% | $13,313 |
| Towns County | 96 | 38.7% | 37% | 17.3% | 12.1% | 3% | 1.9% | $18,412 |
| Ben Hill County | 97 | 36% | 18.4% | 9.8% | 8.3% | 7.9% | 6% | $13,895 |
| Jefferson County | 98 | 37% | 19% | 10.8% | 8.9% | 8% | 5.7% | $15,369 |
| Lamar County | 99 | 27.4% | 17.3% | 9.3% | 7.1% | 3.6% | 3.8% | $11,969 |
| Appling County | 100 | 28.5% | 18.8% | 8.9% | 7.4% | 5.3% | 4.4% | $12,415 |
| Cook County | 101 | 32.3% | 16.7% | 9.1% | 7.8% | 6% | 5.5% | $12,586 |
| Brooks County | 102 | 33.2% | 21.8% | 9.9% | 9% | 6.1% | 5.2% | $13,124 |
| Brantley County | 103 | 33% | 18% | 10.2% | 8.2% | 5.3% | 5.4% | $11,523 |
| Screven County | 104 | 35.6% | 21.1% | 11.1% | 9.3% | 6.8% | 5.2% | $14,203 |
| Pike County | 105 | 19.4% | 16.1% | 7.4% | 5.6% | 2.1% | 2.2% | $9,841 |
| Long County | 106 | 25.4% | 10.1% | 4.8% | 3.9% | 3.3% | 4.2% | $10,123 |
| Dade County | 107 | 27.5% | 21.2% | 11.1% | 7.2% | 3.2% | 2.8% | $11,545 |
| Banks County | 108 | 20.5% | 18.2% | 8.5% | 3% | 3.7% | 2.7% | $9,232 |
| Jasper County | 109 | 23.3% | 17.4% | 8.4% | 6.7% | 3.1% | 3% | $11,056 |
| Jeff Davis County | 110 | 32% | 16% | 9.6% | 7.2% | 6.4% | 5.8% | $11,727 |
| McIntosh County | 111 | 31.6% | 29.5% | 12.1% | 8.3% | 3.5% | 3.7% | $15,059 |
| Oglethorpe County | 112 | 22.5% | 19.4% | 8.8% | 5.6% | 3.2% | 2.8% | $10,584 |
| Early County | 113 | 34.9% | 20.1% | 9.5% | 9.1% | 7.2% | 6.2% | $14,699 |
| Candler County | 114 | 34.3% | 18.3% | 9.4% | 8.5% | 8.2% | 5.3% | $13,918 |
| Dooly County | 115 | 32.2% | 22.9% | 8.7% | 9.9% | 6.6% | 4.6% | $14,414 |
| Telfair County | 116 | 42.8% | 18.5% | 12% | 8.5% | 11.2% | 7.5% | $12,155 |
| Wilkes County | 117 | 29.5% | 23.8% | 9.8% | 8.6% | 4.4% | 3.8% | $15,591 |
| Bleckley County | 118 | 29.2% | 18.4% | 8.8% | 7.9% | 4.6% | 4.2% | $11,986 |
| Macon County | 119 | 28.7% | 19.5% | 8.1% | 5.2% | 8.1% | 4.7% | $12,375 |
| Heard County | 120 | 28.5% | 17.7% | 9% | 8.4% | 4.4% | 4.1% | $11,939 |
| Seminole County | 121 | 32.3% | 25.2% | 10.3% | 8.3% | 5.7% | 4.6% | $14,914 |
| Terrell County | 122 | 34.1% | 21.5% | 9.8% | 8.2% | 7.1% | 6.1% | $15,455 |
| Bacon County | 123 | 30.2% | 17.2% | 8.6% | 7.8% | 6% | 5% | $12,052 |
| Crawford County | 124 | 27.6% | 20.2% | 10.4% | 5.2% | 5.2% | 3.9% | $11,093 |
| Charlton County | 125 | 33% | 15.3% | 10% | 9.3% | 5.2% | 4.5% | $10,364 |
| Evans County | 126 | 30.2% | 16.8% | 8.9% | 7.9% | 5.2% | 5.4% | $12,255 |
| Wilkinson County | 127 | 34.8% | 21% | 12.8% | 8.7% | 5% | 5% | $15,016 |
| Twiggs County | 128 | 37.5% | 24.7% | 13.1% | 9.5% | 6.7% | 4.8% | $16,681 |
| Pulaski County | 129 | 31.2% | 22.4% | 9.2% | 8.5% | 5.3% | 4.2% | $12,795 |
| Hancock County | 130 | 42.6% | 25.8% | 14.5% | 10.6% | 7.9% | 5.8% | $15,132 |
| Turner County | 131 | 38.8% | 19.6% | 10.1% | 10.2% | 8.5% | 6.8% | $14,314 |
| Johnson County | 132 | 43% | 20.3% | 11.7% | 12.5% | 9.3% | 5.9% | $13,642 |
| Irwin County | 133 | 30.5% | 19.1% | 9.2% | 7.2% | 7% | 4.5% | $12,925 |
| Jenkins County | 134 | 36.3% | 17.6% | 9.4% | 9.8% | 8.6% | 5.7% | $13,358 |
| Lanier County | 135 | 32.8% | 15.3% | 8.5% | 7.1% | 6.8% | 5.7% | $11,097 |
| Lincoln County | 136 | 30.7% | 25.6% | 11.5% | 8.5% | 3.4% | 3.3% | $14,264 |
| Wilcox County | 137 | 37.8% | 20.3% | 9.3% | 11.1% | 8.6% | 5.2% | $12,583 |
| Taylor County | 138 | 37.1% | 21.9% | 10.9% | 9% | 7.9% | 5.9% | $14,136 |
| Talbot County | 139 | 38.9% | 27.3% | 11.1% | 12% | 5.3% | 4.8% | $18,010 |
| Randolph County | 140 | 39.2% | 26.5% | 10.7% | 8.6% | 9.5% | 6.7% | $16,475 |
| Marion County | 141 | 34.6% | 22% | 10.3% | 7.7% | 6.8% | 5.2% | $13,175 |
| Clinch County | 142 | 34.5% | 17.3% | 9.2% | 9.9% | 7.9% | 5.2% | $14,388 |
| Miller County | 143 | 30.9% | 22.6% | 8.1% | 10.5% | 6.3% | 3.9% | $15,804 |
| Atkinson County | 144 | 30.2% | 14.8% | 7.7% | 7.6% | 6.1% | 5.9% | $11,058 |
| Montgomery County | 145 | 27.8% | 18.2% | 9.7% | 5.1% | 4.9% | 4.5% | $10,318 |
| Treutlen County | 146 | 36.1% | 18.1% | 10.1% | 8.8% | 7.9% | 6% | $13,140 |
| Warren County | 147 | 39.2% | 23.7% | 12.4% | 9.1% | 7.6% | 6.2% | $15,740 |
| Calhoun County | 148 | 43.6% | 17.2% | 10.9% | 13.3% | 8.6% | 6.5% | $14,772 |
| Wheeler County | 149 | 39% | 16.3% | 11.5% | 9.5% | 7.6% | 6.7% | $9,191 |
| Stewart County | 150 | 40.1% | 17% | 10.6% | 9.2% | 9.8% | 6% | $14,317 |
| Chattahoochee County | 151 | 15.6% | 5.6% | 3.6% | 3% | 1.9% | 3.9% | $5,667 |
| Schley County | 152 | 24.4% | 18.5% | 7.9% | 6.3% | 3.4% | 4.2% | $10,606 |
| Clay County | 153 | 43.1% | 29.3% | 12.8% | 7.1% | 12% | 7.9% | $15,863 |
| Baker County | 154 | 29.4% | 26.7% | 9.1% | 7.7% | 5.5% | 4.4% | $14,612 |
| Quitman County | 155 | 46.7% | 32.8% | 16.7% | 13% | 5% | 6.6% | $17,098 |
| Glascock County | 156 | 32.4% | 17.6% | 10.1% | 8.7% | 7.2% | 4% | $12,732 |
| Echols County | 157 | 24.2% | 13.8% | 8.2% | 2.3% | 6% | 5.5% | $7,900 |
| Webster County | 158 | 30.2% | 25.8% | 11% | 6.4% | 4.8% | 5.2% | $11,925 |
| Taliaferro County | 159 | 32.2% | 28.2% | 11.9% | 7.1% | 5.6% | 4.9% | $14,032 |
Alerts Sign-up