About one in five people in Anderson County, Tennessee, has a disability
In Anderson County, 20.4% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Anderson County's score
In Anderson County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 73.7. Bankruptcy filings ran at 204.4 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 75% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 70.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Anderson County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Anderson County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and median household income ($72,300, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 73.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.1% · August 202571st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people204.4 · 202575th percentile
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- 70.5 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.8% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.5% · fiscal year 202780th percentile
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- 53.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.1% · second quarter of 202660th percentile
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- 50.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.5% · 202435th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.2% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability20.4% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- People without health insurance8.5% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,300 · 202434th percentile
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- 42.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202623rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.4% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Anderson County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Anderson County, 20.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Anderson County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Anderson County had its largest rise, from 20.2% in 2004 to 24.7% in 2009.
In Anderson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 24.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Anderson County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Anderson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 15.2% in 2011 to 17.0% in 2012.
The share of households in Anderson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 11.9%
Biggest drop: 2020 to 2021, reaching 14.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Anderson County, Tennessee.
How Anderson County has changed
Anderson County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 76,652 in 2019 to 81,449 in 2024.
Anderson County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 81,449, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 75,035. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Anderson County, Tennessee.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Anderson County rose by about half to 46,595, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 46,595. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Anderson County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.5% | 2024 11.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,449 | 2024 $72,300 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Anderson County's history
1933
Norris Dam construction displaced approximately 2,900 families, 1933-1936. Wikipedia
1936
Norris Dam altered Clinch River temperature, destroyed pearl industry and mussel habitat. Wikipedia
1998
A flash flood in April 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 77,123, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Anderson County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Anderson County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Anderson County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Anderson County ranks 6th of the seven; Scott County is highest, at 41.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott County, TN | 83 | 17.7% | 41.0% |
| Campbell County, TN | 83 | 18.9% | 34.5% |
| Union County, TN | 76 | 17.4% | 30.4% |
| Morgan County, TN | 69 | 16.6% | 30.7% |
| Anderson County, TN | 62 | 11.5% | 24.4% |
| Roane County, TN | 44 | 12.1% | 29.2% |
| Knox County, TN | 44 | 12.8% | 16.6% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Anderson County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Anderson County's poverty rate was 11.5% in 2024, 81st highest of 95 in Tennessee (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Lake County, at 31.2%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Anderson County ranks 58th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Anderson County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands
Legal aid
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Tennessee Justice Center
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Anderson County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Anderson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.