Rhea County, Tennessee
3× the national median for bankruptcy filing rate — and 50.1× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Glacier County, MT — 7).
Main Findings
Rhea County, Tennessee is more distressed than 84% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: a bankruptcy filing rate of 366 — more than double the national median of 126. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal and its lowest is Delinquency.
- 12th of 95 counties in Tennessee on the County Distress Index — 84 · very high county distress, more distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
- A bankruptcy filing rate of 366 (U.S. median 126). Bankruptcy filing rate at the 95th percentile nationally. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Adults 25-54 not working at 32% — national median 21%, ranked at the 92nd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Uninsured rate at 13% — national median 8%, ranked at the 83rd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Rent-to-income ratio at 22% — national median 21%, ranked at the 66th percentile. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024).
Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 30-point drop to Roane County marks where the Tennessee distress corridor ends.
Rhea County has a very high county distress score. The domain table shows which local pressure carries the composite.
The CDI gives this county a very high county distress label. The five-domain profile shows which local pressures carry the score. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
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 Rhea County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Rhea County's value shown alongside TN's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Rhea | TN median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 62 · Rank 1,162 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 6% | 5% | 38th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 6% | 5% | 76th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 29% | 26% | 23% | 71st | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 83 · Rank 335 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 29% | 28% | 23% | 70th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 366 | 216 | 126 | 95th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 62 · Rank 985 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 22% | 22% | 21% | 66th | 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 | 20% | 17% | 18% | 58th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 76 · Rank 564 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% | 92nd | 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) | 4% | 4% | 4% | 59th | 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 71 · Rank 764 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 18% | 19% | 17% | 57th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 20% | 19% | 16% | 78th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 14% | 14% | 13% | 57th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 13% | 10% | 8% | 83rd | 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 Rhea County data.
Draft wire copy 128-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
DAYTON, Tenn. — Rhea County is more distressed than 84% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Rhea scores 84 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 84% of U.S. counties; its score label is very high county distress. Within Tennessee, Rhea ranks 12th 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 Rhea. A bankruptcy filing rate of 366 — more than double the national median of 126.
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 Rhea County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Rhea County's distress score?
How does Rhea County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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