Tennessee County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 95 counties in Tennessee, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 56.3. 9 counties score high, very high, or extreme.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Tennessee Snapshot
95 Counties Scored
56.3 Mean Score
57.2 Median Score
83.0 Hardeman County Most Distressed
12.4 Williamson County Least Distressed
3 very high county distress6 high county distress21 moderate-high county distress42 moderate county distress14 moderate-low county distress8 low-moderate county distress1 very low county distress
Score Label Distribution Tennessee County Map
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Low county distress Moderate-low county distress Moderate county distress High county distress Extreme county distress
All 95 Tennessee counties colored by county distress score range. 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 | Score Label | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 88 | Hardeman County | 83.0 | very high county distress | Delinquency |
| 2 | 112 | Shelby County | 81.7 | very high county distress | Default & Legal |
| 3 | 146 | Lauderdale County | 80.1 | very high county distress | Default & Legal |
| 4 | 204 | Lake County | 77.8 | high county distress | Default & Legal |
| 5 | 243 | Hancock County | 76.5 | high county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 6 | 285 | Haywood County | 75.3 | high county distress | Delinquency |
| 7 | 345 | Cocke County | 74.0 | high county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 8 | 349 | Madison County | 73.8 | high county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 9 | 439 | Sequatchie County | 71.2 | high county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 10 | 553 | Carroll County | 68.9 | moderate-high county distress | Default & Legal |
| 11 | 709 | Perry County | 66.0 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 12 | 712 | Carter County | 66.0 | moderate-high county distress | Default & Legal |
| 13 | 722 | Scott County | 65.7 | moderate-high county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 14 | 753 | Meigs County | 65.0 | moderate-high county distress | Default & Legal |
| 15 | 761 | Marion County | 64.9 | moderate-high county distress | Default & Legal |
| 16 | 767 | Campbell County | 64.7 | moderate-high county distress | Default & Legal |
| 17 | 787 | Jackson County | 64.4 | moderate-high county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 18 | 822 | Hardin County | 63.9 | moderate-high county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 19 | 841 | Grundy County | 63.6 | moderate-high county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 20 | 852 | Dyer County | 63.4 | moderate-high county distress | Default & Legal |
| 21 | 872 | Henry County | 63.0 | moderate-high county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 22 | 886 | Hamblen County | 62.7 | moderate-high county distress | Default & Legal |
| 23 | 907 | Polk County | 62.4 | moderate-high county distress | Default & Legal |
| 24 | 916 | Johnson County | 62.3 | moderate-high county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 25 | 925 | Lewis County | 62.1 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 26 | 937 | Benton County | 61.8 | moderate-high county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 27 | 956 | McMinn County | 61.6 | moderate-high county distress | Default & Legal |
| 28 | 981 | Claiborne County | 61.1 | moderate-high county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 29 | 987 | Bradley County | 61.0 | moderate-high county distress | Default & Legal |
| 30 | 992 | Rhea County | 60.9 | moderate-high county distress | Default & Legal |
| 31 | 1,063 | Monroe County | 59.6 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 32 | 1,064 | Crockett County | 59.6 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 33 | 1,070 | Clay County | 59.4 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 34 | 1,072 | DeKalb County | 59.4 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 35 | 1,090 | Hawkins County | 59.0 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 36 | 1,108 | Weakley County | 58.8 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 37 | 1,111 | McNairy County | 58.7 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 38 | 1,124 | Chester County | 58.6 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 39 | 1,128 | Maury County | 58.5 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 40 | 1,131 | Gibson County | 58.4 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 41 | 1,134 | Henderson County | 58.3 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 42 | 1,140 | Tipton County | 58.3 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 43 | 1,141 | Montgomery County | 58.3 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 44 | 1,144 | Greene County | 58.2 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 45 | 1,160 | Bledsoe County | 57.9 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 46 | 1,181 | Morgan County | 57.5 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 47 | 1,184 | Warren County | 57.5 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 48 | 1,195 | Pickett County | 57.2 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 49 | 1,199 | Anderson County | 57.1 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 50 | 1,204 | Giles County | 57.0 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 51 | 1,213 | White County | 56.8 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 52 | 1,214 | Unicoi County | 56.8 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 53 | 1,216 | Lawrence County | 56.7 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 54 | 1,222 | Wayne County | 56.6 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 55 | 1,272 | Union County | 55.8 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 56 | 1,293 | Macon County | 55.5 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 57 | 1,332 | Decatur County | 54.7 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 58 | 1,359 | Fentress County | 54.2 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 59 | 1,373 | Jefferson County | 53.8 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 60 | 1,387 | Sullivan County | 53.6 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 61 | 1,407 | Davidson County | 53.4 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 62 | 1,441 | Coffee County | 52.7 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 63 | 1,443 | Obion County | 52.7 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 64 | 1,454 | Putnam County | 52.5 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 65 | 1,479 | Hamilton County | 52.3 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 66 | 1,511 | Overton County | 51.5 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 67 | 1,515 | Lincoln County | 51.4 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 68 | 1,516 | Grainger County | 51.4 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 69 | 1,524 | Bedford County | 51.3 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 70 | 1,554 | Houston County | 50.7 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 71 | 1,568 | Washington County | 50.4 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 72 | 1,585 | Cumberland County | 50.1 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 73 | 1,597 | Humphreys County | 49.8 | moderate-low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 74 | 1,602 | Cannon County | 49.6 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 75 | 1,625 | Fayette County | 49.3 | moderate-low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 76 | 1,659 | Trousdale County | 48.7 | moderate-low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 77 | 1,668 | Van Buren County | 48.5 | moderate-low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 78 | 1,699 | Sevier County | 48.0 | moderate-low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 79 | 1,718 | Marshall County | 47.7 | moderate-low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 80 | 1,724 | Robertson County | 47.7 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 81 | 1,740 | Hickman County | 47.4 | moderate-low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 82 | 1,772 | Rutherford County | 46.9 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 83 | 1,841 | Roane County | 45.6 | moderate-low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 84 | 1,849 | Knox County | 45.5 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 85 | 1,910 | Franklin County | 44.5 | moderate-low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 86 | 2,069 | Dickson County | 41.3 | moderate-low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 87 | 2,147 | Sumner County | 39.9 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 88 | 2,154 | Smith County | 39.8 | low-moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 89 | 2,169 | Blount County | 39.5 | low-moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 90 | 2,189 | Cheatham County | 39.1 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 91 | 2,264 | Stewart County | 37.6 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 92 | 2,311 | Loudon County | 36.6 | low-moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 93 | 2,403 | Moore County | 34.8 | low-moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 94 | 2,496 | Wilson County | 32.9 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 95 | 3,116 | Williamson County | 12.4 | very low county distress | 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.
extreme county distress — 0 Tennessee counties
very high county distress — 3 Tennessee counties
high county distress — 6 Tennessee counties
moderate-high county distress — 21 Tennessee counties
moderate county distress — 42 Tennessee counties
moderate-low county distress — 14 Tennessee counties
low-moderate county distress — 8 Tennessee counties
low county distress — 0 Tennessee counties
very low county distress — 1 Tennessee county
exceptionally low county distress — 0 Tennessee counties