John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
These payments—which include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and income maintenance—accounted for 37.6% of all personal income in the county, according to information from the Economic Innovation Group.
This marks a slight increase in the county’s reliance on government transfers compared to 2012, when such payments made up 33.3% of total income. Since then, the share has risen by 4.3%.
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).
In 2022, government transfers in Bullock County primarily focused on older adults—such as Social Security transfers, which totaled $33.8 million (28.1% of all transfer income), and Medicare, which accounted for $24 million (20%)—played a significant role in the county's overall income.
On a per capita basis, Social Security payments rose from $2,654 in 2012 and $717 in 1970 to $3,314 in 2022, reflecting a 24.9% increase over the past decade and a 362.2% shift since 1970.
Similarly, Medicare transfers climbed from $2,056 in 2012 and $106 in 1970 to $2,357, marking 14.6% and 2,123.6% increases, respectively.
These increases in per capita payments align with shifts in the county’s age distribution. In 2022, residents aged 65 and older made up 18.5% of the total population, compared to 14.1% in 2012 and 12.6% in 1970. While the senior share of the population has increased, the rise in per capita Social Security and Medicare transfers suggests that these assistance programs for older adults now require a larger share of government funding—either due to growing needs, expanded eligibility, higher benefit levels, or increased enrollment.
According to the Economic Innovation Group, total income in Bullock County excluding public assistance amounted to $19,588 per capita in 2022, compared to $31,394 when government transfers were included.
Breaking down the other contributions in the county, Medicaid transfers made up $23.6 million, a 19.6% share of total income, while income maintenance programs, including assistance such as SNAP or TANF, added another $25.4 million, or 21% of the total.
Compared to the previous year, Bullock County's reliance on government transfers decreased by 4%.
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 $2,016 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,529 per capita) in 2022 nationwide.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | State Rank (Per Capita Transfers) | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilcox County | 1 | 46% | 22.54% | 31% | 23.3% | 17.9% | 19.9% | $18,348 |
| Perry County | 2 | 47.63% | 21.9% | 26.8% | 21.9% | 21.5% | 20.7% | $18,237 |
| Greene County | 3 | 44.82% | 25.54% | 30.8% | 24.9% | 15.8% | 18.5% | $17,080 |
| Dallas County | 4 | 40.67% | 20.47% | 27.2% | 24.2% | 18.3% | 19.9% | $17,007 |
| Conecuh County | 5 | 41.99% | 25% | 33.2% | 24.6% | 14.4% | 14.1% | $16,955 |
| Fayette County | 6 | 39.71% | 21.79% | 33.7% | 31.8% | 15.1% | 10.8% | $16,692 |
| Choctaw County | 7 | 35.39% | 24.21% | 36.4% | 28.8% | 12.2% | 12.5% | $16,436 |
| Lowndes County | 8 | 34.76% | 20.8% | 31% | 22.9% | 15.6% | 19.5% | $16,211 |
| Hale County | 9 | 37.46% | 20.36% | 30.5% | 26.7% | 16.4% | 15.6% | $16,189 |
| Marengo County | 10 | 34.15% | 20.58% | 33.8% | 25.4% | 16.4% | 14.7% | $15,981 |
| Clarke County | 11 | 34.43% | 20.72% | 35.5% | 26.5% | 13.3% | 14.4% | $15,554 |
| Monroe County | 12 | 36.47% | 21.74% | 35% | 26.5% | 14.4% | 13% | $15,019 |
| Walker County | 13 | 31.99% | 19.87% | 36.1% | 27.9% | 14.9% | 10.6% | $14,939 |
| Sumter County | 14 | 38.65% | 19.92% | 30.3% | 23.6% | 14.5% | 17.4% | $14,896 |
| Butler County | 15 | 31.74% | 21.53% | 32.1% | 24.4% | 15.5% | 16.2% | $14,893 |
| Washington County | 16 | 34% | 20.88% | 38.5% | 27.4% | 12% | 12% | $14,857 |
| Etowah County | 17 | 34.19% | 19.72% | 33.2% | 28.2% | 15.5% | 11% | $14,686 |
| Crenshaw County | 18 | 30.67% | 19.91% | 33.9% | 24.7% | 15.3% | 13.9% | $14,683 |
| Henry County | 19 | 28.21% | 23.92% | 36.7% | 28.9% | 12% | 10.3% | $14,682 |
| Barbour County | 20 | 36.12% | 20.3% | 32.5% | 26.9% | 15.9% | 14.9% | $14,648 |
| Tallapoosa County | 21 | 29.97% | 23.56% | 38% | 25.4% | 13.2% | 11.7% | $14,615 |
| Pickens County | 22 | 34.24% | 19.61% | 33% | 28.1% | 14.4% | 13.3% | $14,606 |
| Lamar County | 23 | 37.26% | 22.44% | 36% | 26.5% | 15.4% | 11.6% | $14,604 |
| Covington County | 24 | 34.83% | 22.32% | 33.8% | 28% | 14.1% | 11.8% | $14,471 |
| Randolph County | 25 | 33.67% | 21.3% | 35.1% | 26.3% | 12.4% | 13.7% | $14,338 |
| Cherokee County | 26 | 31.92% | 24.56% | 40.1% | 27.2% | 12.1% | 9.6% | $14,328 |
| Coosa County | 27 | 35.65% | 25.79% | 35.5% | 31.3% | 8.8% | 11.9% | $14,125 |
| Geneva County | 28 | 33.69% | 20.96% | 33.2% | 25.7% | 14% | 12.3% | $13,910 |
| Winston County | 29 | 31.51% | 22% | 34.8% | 30.4% | 13.2% | 11% | $13,797 |
| Chambers County | 30 | 35.42% | 20.61% | 36.3% | 25.6% | 13.1% | 14.1% | $13,769 |
| Macon County | 31 | 35.99% | 21.38% | 31.4% | 21.8% | 13.3% | 15.5% | $13,726 |
| Houston County | 32 | 26.34% | 18.71% | 32.9% | 25.8% | 13.7% | 13.3% | $13,458 |
| Russell County | 33 | 34.82% | 15.62% | 29.1% | 20% | 9.1% | 14.8% | $13,388 |
| Calhoun County | 34 | 31.34% | 18.46% | 32.9% | 27% | 12.9% | 12.3% | $13,328 |
| Dale County | 35 | 30.16% | 18.2% | 30.7% | 22.5% | 13.3% | 13.6% | $13,262 |
| Talladega County | 36 | 31.89% | 19.56% | 35.6% | 26.8% | 14.3% | 12.9% | $13,150 |
| Escambia County | 37 | 33.69% | 18.81% | 34.9% | 27.4% | 12.4% | 14.5% | $13,084 |
| Clay County | 38 | 32.37% | 21.31% | 36.6% | 27.5% | 13.9% | 11.1% | $12,907 |
| Jackson County | 39 | 29.72% | 21% | 38.6% | 28.6% | 11.4% | 10.6% | $12,862 |
| Colbert County | 40 | 29.16% | 20.62% | 38.1% | 26.7% | 11.1% | 10.4% | $12,846 |
| Coffee County | 41 | 25.24% | 17.2% | 30% | 21% | 11.8% | 10.7% | $12,806 |
| Lawrence County | 42 | 30.81% | 18.97% | 37.6% | 29.8% | 11.3% | 11.9% | $12,792 |
| Mobile County | 43 | 26.48% | 17.35% | 32.5% | 25.1% | 14.7% | 14.8% | $12,602 |
| Montgomery County | 44 | 25.22% | 16.22% | 30.2% | 20.7% | 13.8% | 17.3% | $12,410 |
| Pike County | 45 | 26.26% | 15.68% | 29.2% | 22.9% | 14.7% | 14.9% | $12,283 |
| DeKalb County | 46 | 30% | 17.83% | 34% | 24.9% | 15.6% | 14.1% | $12,186 |
| Bibb County | 47 | 32.32% | 17.81% | 34.7% | 29.3% | 13.9% | 12.4% | $12,124 |
| Cleburne County | 48 | 27.21% | 19.59% | 36.9% | 26.6% | 13.9% | 12.7% | $12,036 |
| Chilton County | 49 | 28.27% | 17.28% | 34.6% | 27.1% | 13.3% | 13% | $11,939 |
| Marion County | 50 | 28.2% | 21.43% | 37.9% | 22.6% | 14.3% | 13.7% | $11,935 |
| Lauderdale County | 51 | 26.46% | 20.56% | 40.2% | 26.1% | 10.9% | 9.4% | $11,933 |
| Baldwin County | 52 | 20.93% | 21.67% | 41.7% | 27.9% | 7.6% | 7.6% | $11,878 |
| Franklin County | 53 | 28.18% | 17.41% | 33.3% | 27.4% | 15.8% | 13.6% | $11,853 |
| Bullock County | 54 | 37.61% | 18.51% | 28.1% | 20% | 19.6% | 21% | $11,806 |
| Cullman County | 55 | 24% | 19% | 37.5% | 28.4% | 11.6% | 9.7% | $11,797 |
| Jefferson County | 56 | 17.76% | 16.81% | 34.3% | 26.7% | 14.1% | 13.3% | $11,783 |
| Marshall County | 57 | 25.19% | 17.11% | 34.6% | 26.2% | 13.4% | 13.1% | $11,561 |
| Morgan County | 58 | 24.83% | 18.11% | 38.2% | 25% | 13.5% | 11.6% | $11,472 |
| Elmore County | 59 | 23.36% | 16.63% | 36.1% | 24.9% | 9.6% | 10.3% | $11,461 |
| St. Clair County | 60 | 23% | 17.94% | 37.8% | 25.8% | 13.4% | 10.4% | $11,095 |
| Autauga County | 61 | 22% | 16.34% | 34.4% | 22.3% | 11.4% | 11.6% | $10,892 |
| Blount County | 62 | 24.3% | 18.97% | 39.7% | 25.3% | 12.1% | 10.9% | $10,628 |
| Madison County | 63 | 16.29% | 15.75% | 34.7% | 24.3% | 9.3% | 9.4% | $9,979 |
| Limestone County | 64 | 17.83% | 15.71% | 36.8% | 25.1% | 7.9% | 9% | $9,620 |
| Tuscaloosa County | 65 | 22.44% | 13.99% | 34.3% | 25.1% | 13.1% | 13% | $9,251 |
| Shelby County | 66 | 13.19% | 16.86% | 44.5% | 28.9% | 5.4% | 7.5% | $8,891 |
| Lee County | 67 | 17.88% | 13.41% | 35.7% | 21.6% | 8.4% | 12.7% | $8,351 |
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