Bledsoe County, Tennessee
Above the national median for disability rate — and 8.4× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (San Juan County, CO — 3%).
Main Findings
Bledsoe County, Tennessee ranks 1,112th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 24% of residents report a disability — above the national median of 16%.
- 1,112th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Second-most distressed fifth, 51st in Tennessee.
- 24% of residents report a disability (U.S. median 16%). Disability rate at the 95th percentile nationally.
- Bankruptcy filing rate at 232 — national median 126, ranked at the 82nd percentile.
- Rent-to-income ratio at 23% — national median 21%, ranked at the 68th percentile.
- Auto loan delinquency at 8% — national median 5%, ranked at the 80th percentile.
Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 24-point drop to Van Buren County marks where the Tennessee distress corridor ends.
"Bledsoe County ranks in the second-most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The score is above the national county midpoint, with the domain table showing the local pressure mix."
"The CDI places this county in the second-most distressed fifth nationally. The county sits above the median distress position, with the five-domain profile showing which local pressures carry the score."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
28% of children under 18 in Bledsoe County live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.
The Indicators Behind Bledsoe County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Bledsoe County's value shown alongside TN's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Bledsoe | TN median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 50 · Rank 1,560 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 6% | 5% | 80th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 6% | 5% | 10th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 26% | 26% | 23% | 60th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 76 · Rank 549 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 29% | 28% | 23% | 70th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 232 | 216 | 126 | 82nd | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 60 · Rank 1,092 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 23% | 22% | 21% | 68th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 18% | 17% | 18% | 53rd | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 21 · Rank 2,522 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 3% | 4% | 4% | 21st | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 85 · Rank 207 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 28% | 21% | 18% | 87th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 24% | 19% | 16% | 95th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 22% | 16% | 14% | 90th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 32% | 30% | 27% | 75th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 18% | 10% | 8% | 93rd | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Bledsoe County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 152-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
PIKEVILLE, Tenn. — Bledsoe County ranks 1,112th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 59 out of 100 places Bledsoe in the second-most distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,111 counties rank more distressed. Within Tennessee, Bledsoe ranks 51st of 95 counties.
The index, which draws on 16 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies safety net & buffer as the primary driver in Bledsoe. 24% of residents report a disability — above the national median of 16%.
"Bledsoe County ranks in the second-most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The score is above the national county midpoint, with the domain table showing the local pressure mix," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bledsoe County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Bledsoe County's distress score?
How does Bledsoe County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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