Tennessee County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 95 counties in Tennessee, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 58.0. 57counties are in the two most distressed fifths.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Tennessee Snapshot
95 Counties Scored
58.0 Mean Score
59.2 Median Score
85.3 Hardeman County Most Distressed
14.4 Williamson County Least Distressed
12 Most distressed fifth45 Second-most distressed fifth28 Middle fifth9 Second-least distressed fifth1 Least distressed fifth
Quintile Distribution Tennessee County Map
Loading interactive map…
Least distressed fifth Second-least distressed fifth Middle fifth Second-most distressed fifth Most distressed fifth
All 95 Tennessee counties colored by distress fifth. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How Tennessee's 95 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All Tennessee Counties
95 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Distress Fifth | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 43 | Hardeman County | 85.3 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 2 | 82 | Shelby County | 82.7 | Most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 3 | 101 | Lauderdale County | 81.7 | Most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 4 | 119 | Lake County | 80.9 | Most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 5 | 172 | Hancock County | 78.8 | Most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 6 | 219 | Haywood County | 76.6 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 7 | 234 | Cocke County | 76.1 | Most distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 8 | 252 | Madison County | 75.6 | Most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 9 | 328 | Sequatchie County | 73.4 | Most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 10 | 448 | Carroll County | 70.5 | Most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 11 | 586 | Meigs County | 67.9 | Most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 12 | 592 | Scott County | 67.8 | Most distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 13 | 633 | Dyer County | 67.0 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 14 | 647 | Campbell County | 66.6 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 15 | 650 | Marion County | 66.6 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 16 | 651 | Carter County | 66.6 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 17 | 678 | Grundy County | 66.0 | Second-most distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 18 | 681 | Lewis County | 66.0 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 19 | 688 | Perry County | 65.8 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 20 | 741 | Hardin County | 64.8 | Second-most distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 21 | 748 | Johnson County | 64.8 | Second-most distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 22 | 772 | Hamblen County | 64.3 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 23 | 777 | Benton County | 64.2 | Second-most distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 24 | 780 | Henry County | 64.2 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 25 | 794 | McMinn County | 64.0 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 26 | 808 | Jackson County | 63.7 | Second-most distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 27 | 814 | Claiborne County | 63.7 | Second-most distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 28 | 836 | Bradley County | 63.1 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 29 | 841 | Polk County | 63.1 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 30 | 882 | Rhea County | 62.4 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 31 | 886 | Maury County | 62.3 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 32 | 889 | Gibson County | 62.3 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 33 | 905 | Chester County | 62.0 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 34 | 909 | Lawrence County | 62.0 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 35 | 928 | Monroe County | 61.5 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 36 | 932 | Hawkins County | 61.4 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 37 | 939 | Greene County | 61.3 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 38 | 951 | McNairy County | 61.0 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 39 | 953 | Crockett County | 61.0 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 40 | 961 | DeKalb County | 60.8 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 41 | 965 | Giles County | 60.8 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 42 | 966 | Henderson County | 60.8 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 43 | 986 | Montgomery County | 60.6 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 44 | 1,032 | Clay County | 59.8 | Second-most distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 45 | 1,046 | Tipton County | 59.6 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 46 | 1,049 | Unicoi County | 59.5 | Second-most distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 47 | 1,068 | Weakley County | 59.2 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 48 | 1,069 | Wayne County | 59.2 | Second-most distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 49 | 1,085 | White County | 59.0 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 50 | 1,110 | Warren County | 58.6 | Second-most distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 51 | 1,112 | Bledsoe County | 58.5 | Second-most distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 52 | 1,113 | Morgan County | 58.5 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 53 | 1,141 | Union County | 58.0 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 54 | 1,151 | Anderson County | 57.9 | Second-most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 55 | 1,169 | Pickett County | 57.6 | Second-most distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 56 | 1,192 | Macon County | 57.3 | Second-most distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 57 | 1,236 | Decatur County | 56.4 | Second-most distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 58 | 1,275 | Coffee County | 55.8 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 59 | 1,276 | Sullivan County | 55.8 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 60 | 1,320 | Fentress County | 54.9 | Middle fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 61 | 1,325 | Jefferson County | 54.9 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 62 | 1,354 | Bedford County | 54.3 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 63 | 1,387 | Davidson County | 53.9 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 64 | 1,389 | Obion County | 53.8 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 65 | 1,393 | Putnam County | 53.6 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 66 | 1,427 | Marshall County | 53.2 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 67 | 1,432 | Hamilton County | 53.1 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 68 | 1,475 | Houston County | 52.1 | Middle fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 69 | 1,476 | Grainger County | 52.0 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 70 | 1,484 | Overton County | 51.9 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 71 | 1,510 | Trousdale County | 51.5 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 72 | 1,519 | Humphreys County | 51.5 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 73 | 1,535 | Washington County | 51.2 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 74 | 1,549 | Hickman County | 51.0 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 75 | 1,564 | Cumberland County | 50.6 | Middle fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 76 | 1,589 | Cannon County | 50.1 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 77 | 1,619 | Fayette County | 49.6 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 78 | 1,640 | Lincoln County | 49.2 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 79 | 1,644 | Van Buren County | 49.2 | Middle fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 80 | 1,658 | Robertson County | 49.0 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 81 | 1,660 | Rutherford County | 49.0 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 82 | 1,676 | Sevier County | 48.6 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 83 | 1,711 | Roane County | 48.0 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 84 | 1,761 | Franklin County | 47.2 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 85 | 1,805 | Knox County | 46.4 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 86 | 2,038 | Dickson County | 42.5 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 87 | 2,110 | Sumner County | 41.1 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 88 | 2,141 | Smith County | 40.5 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 89 | 2,143 | Blount County | 40.5 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 90 | 2,196 | Cheatham County | 39.6 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 91 | 2,228 | Stewart County | 39.0 | Second-least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 92 | 2,277 | Loudon County | 37.9 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 93 | 2,295 | Moore County | 37.5 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 94 | 2,456 | Wilson County | 34.1 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 95 | 3,085 | Williamson County | 14.4 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using five equal-weighted domains. Each domain averages its member indicators' county ranks, and the composite is the mean of those domain scores. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.
Most distressed fifth — 12 Tennessee counties
Second-most distressed fifth — 45 Tennessee counties
Middle fifth — 28 Tennessee counties
Second-least distressed fifth — 9 Tennessee counties
Least distressed fifth — 1 Tennessee county