ARC Marks Some Economic Status Improvements in Northwest Georgia Counties

Just 77 counties in Appalachia are designated as economically distressed — the lowest number in 19 years. Chattooga County is the only one in Georgia, although none of the counties in Northwest Georgia are considered competitive yet.

The designations come from an annual status report by the Appalachian Regional Commission. The analysis compares each of the ARC’s 423 counties with national averages for unemployment rates, per capita income and poverty rates over the previous three-year period.

The federal agency’s goal is to bring Appalachia — a swath along the mountain range, stretching from southern New York to northern Mississippi — to socioeconomic parity with the rest of the country. The annual designations track progress and govern grant awards.

Floyd and the rest of the counties in Northwest Georgia are ranked as transitional, eligible for a 50% match from ARC on projects aimed at boosting their economic competitiveness.

That’s an improvement for Polk and Murray counties, which were labeled at risk in the 2022 report.

Chattooga’s classification as “distressed” makes it eligible for an 80% match from the federal agency. The classification is applied to areas with a median income of no more than 67% of the U.S. average and a poverty rate of 150% or more of the national average.

For transitional and at-risk counties, the ARC also looks at areas within them that are considered distressed.

Floyd County has seven census tracts designated as distressed. They are mainly clustered along U.S. 27, from Silver Creek and Lindale north, through Rome on Ga. 53 up to Shannon.

In Polk, there are two census tracts labeled economically distressed, making up about a third of the county, west of Cedartown, and encompassing about 11,700 people.

Gordon County is down to two distressed areas, compared to four in 2022. Improvements were in census tracts close to Calhoun. Lagging still are the tracts in the southwest, including Plainville, and northeast around Ranger.

Overall, in the Appalachian Region 77 counties are classified as distressed; 103 are classified as at-risk; 226 are classified as transitional; 14 are classified as competitive; and 3 are classified as attainment for FY 2025.