Chapter ED Intelligence · Chapter Report
ARC of Northwest Georgia
Southeast and Caribbean Division · Georgia Region
GA · 15 counties · HQ Rome, GA · FEMA Region IV
784,553
People
298,798
Households
45.8%
Households below the ALICE survival threshold
15
Counties · 4,993 sq mi
Nearly 46% of households across this chapter live below the ALICE survival threshold — the working families one disaster away from crisis.
In this report · Economic vulnerability · Who lives here · Home fire mission (FLARE) · mission delivery & the bespoke relationship strategy to follow
Sources: American Red Cross geography + 2023 demographics reference table; United Way ALICE + poverty (latest county year).
Geography & Footprint
The chapter's footprint.
15
Counties
4,993
Square miles
784,553
People
Georgia Region
Southeast and Caribbean Division
| County | People | Sq mi | % of chapter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bartow | 113,065 | 470 | 14.4% |
| Whitfield | 102,440 | 291 | 13.1% |
| Floyd | 98,904 | 518 | 12.6% |
| Catoosa | 69,108 | 163 | 8.8% |
| Walker | 67,742 | 447 | 8.6% |
| Gordon | 58,870 | 358 | 7.5% |
| Polk | 43,590 | 312 | 5.6% |
| Murray | 40,190 | 347 | 5.1% |
| Pickens | 34,618 | 233 | 4.4% |
| Gilmer | 32,513 | 431 | 4.1% |
| Dawson | 29,676 | 214 | 3.8% |
| Union | 26,586 | 329 | 3.4% |
| Fannin | 25,996 | 392 | 3.3% |
| Chattooga | 24,955 | 314 | 3.2% |
| Dade | 16,300 | 174 | 2.1% |
HQ: Rome, GA · FEMA Region IV. Counties sorted by population.
Who Lives Here
The people of this chapter.
41
Median age
$60,794
Median household income
17.3%
Age 65+
27.8%
Renter households
Age distribution
Race & ethnicity
Hispanic / Latino (any race): 12.8% of residents.
Source: American Red Cross 2023 demographics reference table. Chapter figures aggregate the 15 counties; median age and income are population-weighted.
Economic Vulnerability
Where the need is greatest.
| County | People | Median HH income | ALICE | Poverty | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattooga | 24,955 | $38,771 | 41.1% | 19.6% | 60.8% |
| Walker | 67,742 | $48,681 | 34.6% | 17.0% | 51.7% |
| Polk | 43,590 | $52,540 | 30.2% | 20.3% | 50.5% |
| Dade | 16,300 | $51,945 | 41.0% | 9.3% | 50.3% |
| Whitfield | 102,440 | $56,600 | 30.4% | 16.9% | 47.4% |
| Pickens | 34,618 | $76,207 | 35.0% | 11.6% | 46.6% |
| Floyd | 98,904 | $59,142 | 29.9% | 16.6% | 46.5% |
| Gordon | 58,870 | $54,945 | 32.6% | 13.1% | 45.7% |
| Bartow | 113,065 | $75,610 | 33.8% | 10.8% | 44.5% |
| Catoosa | 69,108 | $65,238 | 32.4% | 10.0% | 42.4% |
| Fannin | 25,996 | $54,264 | 29.7% | 11.6% | 41.3% |
| Murray | 40,190 | $55,784 | 27.8% | 12.8% | 40.6% |
| Dawson | 29,676 | $84,474 | 30.9% | 9.0% | 39.9% |
| Union | 26,586 | $58,126 | 28.9% | 10.6% | 39.5% |
| + 1 more counties — full table in the county appendix | |||||
Combined = households in poverty plus ALICE households (above poverty, below the cost of basics), as a share of all county households. Source: United Way ALICE, latest county year.
Risk & Disaster History
What this chapter is up against.
$313.1M
Expected annual loss, all hazards
Floyd
Highest-risk county
60.4%
Avg social vulnerability (SVI)
3
FEMA declarations, 5 yr (top county)
| County | NRI risk | Exp. annual loss | SVI %ile | FEMA 5yr | FEMA all |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floyd | Relatively Moderate | $39.7M | 92.8% | 2 | 19 |
| Whitfield | Relatively Moderate | $37.9M | 88.4% | 2 | 16 |
| Bartow | Relatively Low | $32.5M | 45.4% | 2 | 19 |
| Walker | Relatively Low | $29.8M | 68.0% | 2 | 19 |
| Gordon | Relatively Low | $27.7M | 73.2% | 2 | 18 |
| Catoosa | Relatively Low | $27.3M | 30.9% | 2 | 17 |
| Gilmer | Relatively Low | $19.3M | 54.5% | 3 | 20 |
| Murray | Relatively Low | $16.2M | 68.5% | 2 | 15 |
| Polk | Relatively Low | $15.3M | 82.8% | 2 | 17 |
| Fannin | Relatively Low | $14.4M | 61.7% | 2 | 18 |
| Chattooga | Relatively Low | $12.5M | 94.8% | 2 | 15 |
| Union | Relatively Low | $11.6M | 49.3% | 2 | 16 |
| Pickens | Very Low | $11.2M | 33.9% | 2 | 22 |
| Dawson | Very Low | $9.3M | 18.6% | 3 | 19 |
| + 1 more counties — full table in the county appendix | |||||
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index 2025 (risk rating, expected annual loss), CDC/ATSDR SVI 2022 (social-vulnerability percentile), FEMA disaster declarations — via the Red Cross national county database.
Disaster History
A chapter shaped by disaster.
32
Federal disaster declarations
7
Hurricanes
Severe Storm
Most common type
2026
Most recent
By incident type
Most recent declarations
| FY | Disaster | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Severe Winter Storm | Winter Storm |
| 2024 | Hurricane Helene | Hurricane |
| 2024 | Hurricane Helene | Tropical Storm |
| 2021 | Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Severe Storm |
| 2021 | Tropical Storm Zeta | Hurricane |
| 2020 | Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological |
| 2020 | Covid-19 | Biological |
| 2017 | Hurricane Irma | Hurricane |
| 2017 | Hurricane Irma | Hurricane |
| 2017 | Tatum Gulf Fire | Fire |
Source: FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 — county-level, deduplicated to unique disasters.
Home Fire Mission · FLARE 2024
Every home fire is a Red Cross moment.
390
Home fires (2024)
51.0%
Red Cross care rate
144
Fires with no Red Cross notification
5.0
Fires per 10,000 residents
Red Cross cared for 51% of home fires — but 144 (37%) happened with no Red Cross notification: the prevention, smoke-alarm, and response opportunity, county by county.
Source: FLARE Fire Incidents 2024 (American Red Cross, public layer). “With care” = Red Cross provided assistance; “no notification” = the Red Cross was never alerted to the fire.
Home Fire · Respond & Prevent
Red Cross shows up — and prevents.
3,717
Home-fire calls answered (RC response)
3,485
Single-family fire responses
2,862
Free smoke alarms installed
227
Multi-family fire responses
Red Cross answered 3,717 home-fire calls and installed 2,862 free smoke alarms across the chapter — response and prevention, county by county.
Sources: DRO National 800-RedCross Calls by County (RC fire responses); Smoke Alarm Installs FY15–FY24 (American Red Cross).
Blood & BioMed
The blood mission's local footprint.
29,200
Blood units collected (FY22–26)
1,011
Blood drives held
180
Drives in FY2026
12
Counties with drives
Blood drives are active in 12 of the chapter's 15 counties — every county without one is an employer or civic opening: a host site, a sponsored drive, a standing partnership.
Source: BioMed Collections FY22–FY26 (American Red Cross). Drives = collection events; units = products collected.
Red Cross Facilities
The chapter's physical footprint.
1
Red Cross facilities
1
Owned
0
Leased / licensed
0
BioMed sites
By type / function
BioMed facilities
No BioMed fixed sites in this chapter.
Sources: Red Cross real-estate portfolio (reintel.jbf.com) + BioMed facilities (biomed.jbf.com).
Locations, types and functions only — no cost, square footage, or lease terms are disclosed.
Red Cross Philanthropy · Major Donors
Who gives here.
Major-donor giving across the chapter — three fiscal years. Internal planning data.
$214,863
Total giving, 3-year
12
Major donors
$14,702
Current FY · ▼ 90% vs prior FY
$93,881
Top: Union
| County | Major donors | Total giving, 3-year |
|---|---|---|
| Union | 1 | $93,881 |
| Gilmer | 2 | $32,350 |
| Whitfield | 3 | $29,000 |
| Walker | 1 | $23,000 |
| Bartow | 1 | $10,632 |
| Catoosa | 2 | $10,000 |
| Fannin | 1 | $10,000 |
| Pickens | 1 | $6,000 |
Source: Red Cross major-donor giving by county, three fiscal years.
Internal / executive-director planning use — not donor-facing.
County Deep Dive
Bartow County
113,065
People
$75,610
Median HH income
44.5%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age38.8
ALICE households13,401
Poverty households4,264
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$32.5M
Social vulnerability (SVI)45.4%
FEMA declarations (all time)19
Home fires, CY202442
Fires, no RC notification17
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$10,632
Bartow County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Whitfield County
102,440
People
$56,600
Median HH income
47.4%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age36.2
ALICE households11,358
Poverty households6,316
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$37.9M
Social vulnerability (SVI)88.4%
FEMA declarations (all time)16
Home fires, CY202454
Fires, no RC notification21
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$29,000
Whitfield County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Floyd County
98,904
People
$59,142
Median HH income
46.5%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age39.3
ALICE households11,316
Poverty households6,294
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$39.7M
Social vulnerability (SVI)92.8%
FEMA declarations (all time)19
Home fires, CY202474
Fires, no RC notification31
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr—
Floyd County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Catoosa County
69,108
People
$65,238
Median HH income
42.4%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age41.1
ALICE households8,472
Poverty households2,610
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$27.3M
Social vulnerability (SVI)30.9%
FEMA declarations (all time)17
Home fires, CY202415
Fires, no RC notification4
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$10,000
Catoosa County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Walker County
67,742
People
$48,681
Median HH income
51.7%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age42.5
ALICE households9,007
Poverty households4,434
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$29.8M
Social vulnerability (SVI)68.0%
FEMA declarations (all time)19
Home fires, CY202447
Fires, no RC notification15
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$23,000
Walker County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Gordon County
58,870
People
$54,945
Median HH income
45.7%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age38.3
ALICE households6,792
Poverty households2,734
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$27.7M
Social vulnerability (SVI)73.2%
FEMA declarations (all time)18
Home fires, CY202427
Fires, no RC notification10
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr—
Gordon County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Polk County
43,590
People
$52,540
Median HH income
50.5%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age38.2
ALICE households4,715
Poverty households3,162
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$15.3M
Social vulnerability (SVI)82.8%
FEMA declarations (all time)17
Home fires, CY202423
Fires, no RC notification12
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr—
Polk County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Murray County
40,190
People
$55,784
Median HH income
40.6%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age38.7
ALICE households4,244
Poverty households1,958
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$16.2M
Social vulnerability (SVI)68.5%
FEMA declarations (all time)15
Home fires, CY202418
Fires, no RC notification4
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr—
Murray County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Pickens County
34,618
People
$76,207
Median HH income
46.6%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age46.4
ALICE households4,567
Poverty households1,512
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$11.2M
Social vulnerability (SVI)33.9%
FEMA declarations (all time)22
Home fires, CY202418
Fires, no RC notification10
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$6,000
Pickens County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Gilmer County
32,513
People
$61,858
Median HH income
38.8%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age46.2
ALICE households3,054
Poverty households1,841
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$19.3M
Social vulnerability (SVI)54.5%
FEMA declarations (all time)20
Home fires, CY202410
Fires, no RC notification2
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$32,350
Gilmer County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Dawson County
29,676
People
$84,474
Median HH income
39.9%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age43.8
ALICE households3,346
Poverty households978
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$9.3M
Social vulnerability (SVI)18.6%
FEMA declarations (all time)19
Home fires, CY20247
Fires, no RC notification3
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr—
Dawson County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Union County
26,586
People
$58,126
Median HH income
39.5%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age54.8
ALICE households3,182
Poverty households1,171
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$11.6M
Social vulnerability (SVI)49.3%
FEMA declarations (all time)16
Home fires, CY202410
Fires, no RC notification1
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$93,881
Union County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Fannin County
25,996
People
$54,264
Median HH income
41.3%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age52.1
ALICE households3,373
Poverty households1,316
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$14.4M
Social vulnerability (SVI)61.7%
FEMA declarations (all time)18
Home fires, CY202417
Fires, no RC notification4
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$10,000
Fannin County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Chattooga County
24,955
People
$38,771
Median HH income
60.8%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age42.1
ALICE households3,761
Poverty households1,793
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$12.5M
Social vulnerability (SVI)94.8%
FEMA declarations (all time)15
Home fires, CY202418
Fires, no RC notification7
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr—
Chattooga County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Dade County
16,300
People
$51,945
Median HH income
50.3%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age41.6
ALICE households2,533
Poverty households572
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$8.4M
Social vulnerability (SVI)43.9%
FEMA declarations (all time)20
Home fires, CY202410
Fires, no RC notification3
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr—
Dade County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
Your Live Tools
The chapter's Experience Builder apps & federal tools.
Red Cross Intelligence Briefing
Chapter risk, hardship, hazards & county drilldowns
experience.arcgis.com
Disaster Response Intelligence
Spatial disaster-response intelligence
Experience Builder app
Red Cross Real Estate
Facilities & market intelligence
experience.arcgis.com
Service Area Planning
Service-area geography & planning
Experience Builder app
Community Mobilization V
Local resource & mobilization map
experience.arcgis.com
Biomed
Blood & BioMed footprint
experience.arcgis.com
FEMA RAPT
Resilience analysis & planning
www.fema.gov
Census Community Resilience
People & resilience context
www.census.gov
Red Cross Experience Builder apps give the live, drill-down companion to this report; federal tools add official context.
Sources & Methodology
Every number, traceable.
Tools produce facts; humans own decisions. Each figure in this report traces to a named source and vintage.
| Metric | Source | Vintage |
|---|---|---|
| geography + 2023 demographics | ALICE master / Red Cross reference table | 2023 |
| ALICE + poverty households | MASTER counties ALICE+demographics | 2023 |
| flare | flare_fire_incidents (public AGOL, CY24) | CY2024 |
| smoke_alarms | GIS_MAP_FY15_to_FY24 (AGOL item b09f21d9…) | FY15–24 |
| lives_saved | Lives_Saved_Map_30_Apr_2026 (AGOL item ff313330…) | 2026 |
| blood | Biomed Collections 22-26 by chapter/county | FY22–26 |
| risk + disaster history | FEMA NRI 2025 · CDC SVI 2022 · FEMA declarations (red-cross-data county master) | FEMA NRI 2025 · SVI 2022 |
| fema disaster history | FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 | 2026 |
| facilities / real estate (no costs) | Red Cross facilities portfolio — reintel.jbf.com (locations, types & ownership only; no cost/lease terms) | FY25 |
| home-fire RC responses (SFF/MFF) | DRO National 800-RedCross Calls by County (org AGOL) | FY24–26 |
Geography: American Red Cross chapter↔county reference. The full machine-readable source ledger ships with the data bundle.
Appendix · County Data
Full county table.
| County | Pop | Households | Hardship | NRI risk | Exp. annual loss | Fires '24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bartow | 113,065 | 41,804 | 44.5% | Relatively Low | $32.5M | 42 |
| Whitfield | 102,440 | 36,140 | 47.4% | Relatively Moderate | $37.9M | 54 |
| Floyd | 98,904 | 37,214 | 46.5% | Relatively Moderate | $39.7M | 74 |
| Catoosa | 69,108 | 26,939 | 42.4% | Relatively Low | $27.3M | 15 |
| Walker | 67,742 | 26,331 | 51.7% | Relatively Low | $29.8M | 47 |
| Gordon | 58,870 | 21,800 | 45.7% | Relatively Low | $27.7M | 27 |
| Polk | 43,590 | 16,365 | 50.5% | Relatively Low | $15.3M | 23 |
| Murray | 40,190 | 14,866 | 40.6% | Relatively Low | $16.2M | 18 |
| Pickens | 34,618 | 13,722 | 46.6% | Very Low | $11.2M | 18 |
| Gilmer | 32,513 | 13,442 | 38.8% | Relatively Low | $19.3M | 10 |
| Dawson | 29,676 | 11,277 | 39.9% | Very Low | $9.3M | 7 |
| Union | 26,586 | 11,359 | 39.5% | Relatively Low | $11.6M | 10 |
| Fannin | 25,996 | 11,562 | 41.3% | Relatively Low | $14.4M | 17 |
| Chattooga | 24,955 | 9,556 | 60.8% | Relatively Low | $12.5M | 18 |
| Dade | 16,300 | 6,421 | 50.3% | Very Low | $8.4M | 10 |
One row per county. Combined hardship = poverty + ALICE households. Fires = FLARE CY2024.