Lauderdale County, Tennessee
Above the national median of residents with debt in collections — and 22.3× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Logan County, ND — 2%).
Main Findings
Lauderdale County, Tennessee ranks 52nd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 43% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections — above the national median of 23%. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal and its lowest is Debt Burden (housing basis).
- 52nd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 98 · extreme county distress, more distressed than 98% of U.S. counties; 2nd in Tennessee.
- 43% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections (U.S. median 23%). Debt in collections at the 97th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Credit card delinquency at 12% — national median 5%, ranked at the 98th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Disability rate at 23% — national median 16%, ranked at the 91st percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Adults 25-54 not working at 32% — national median 21%, ranked at the 93rd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
Unemployment is 5%, near the national median of 4%, while credit card delinquency runs at the 98th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 35-point drop to Tipton County marks where the Tennessee distress corridor ends.
Lauderdale County has an extreme county distress score. The five-domain profile shows where local household pressure is most concentrated.
The CDI gives this county an extreme county distress label. The score is the plain-language signal; the national rank separately shows how the county compares with every other county-equivalent in the release. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024), 28% of children under 18 in Lauderdale County live below the federal poverty line, versus 17% 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.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Lauderdale County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Lauderdale County's value shown alongside TN's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Lauderdale | TN median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 96 · Rank 37 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 11% | 6% | 5% | 94th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 12% | 6% | 5% | 98th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 41% | 26% | 23% | 96th | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 97 · Rank 8 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 43% | 28% | 23% | 97th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 431 | 216 | 126 | 97th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 67 · Rank 818 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 22% | 22% | 21% | 67th | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 21% | 17% | 18% | 67th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 83 · Rank 342 of 3,144 | |||||
| Adults 25-54 not working Share of adults aged 25 to 54 without a job, leaving out residents of prisons and other institutions (service members count as working) | 32% | 24% | 21% | 93rd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Unemployment (average of monthly rates) Share of labor force unemployed, averaged over the monthly rates published for September 2025 to August 2026 (no figures published for October 2025) | 5% | 4% | 4% | 73rd | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 84 · Rank 220 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 28% | 19% | 17% | 88th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 23% | 19% | 16% | 91st | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 21% | 14% | 13% | 89th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 10% | 10% | 8% | 67th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
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 scores household financial distress from 0 to 100 for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A county's score is the share of U.S. counties it is more distressed than. 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 five domains are averaged, and that average is ranked against every other county to give the score.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), Equifax data retrieved via FRED (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2024 to 2027 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Lauderdale County data.
Draft wire copy 141-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
RIPLEY, Tenn. — Lauderdale County ranks 52nd among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Lauderdale scores 98 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 98% of U.S. counties; its score label is extreme county distress. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 51 counties rank more distressed. Within Tennessee, Lauderdale ranks second of 95 counties.
The index, which draws on 14 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies default & legal as the primary driver in Lauderdale. 43% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections — above the national median of 23%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Lauderdale County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Lauderdale County's distress score?
How does Lauderdale County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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