About three in ten people with a credit file in Bedford County, Tennessee, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Bedford County, 28.7% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 69% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bedford County's score
In Bedford County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 72.7. Bankruptcy filings ran at 201.7 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 75% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 63.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bedford 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.
Bedford County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.1%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.7% · August 202570th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people201.7 · 202575th percentile
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- 63.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.0% · second quarter of 202669th percentile
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- 55.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.2% · 202441st percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.7% · 202463rd percentile
- People with a disability15.2% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- People without health insurance14.6% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,879 · 202441st percentile
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- 54.4 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 rent22.6% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.1% · fiscal year 202732nd percentile
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- 34.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202628th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.1% · 2020 to 202440th 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 Bedford 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 Bedford County, 14.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bedford County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Bedford County had its largest rise, from 18.8% in 2004 to 26.7% in 2009.
In Bedford County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 22.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Bedford County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bedford County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 15.1% in 2009 to 18.3% in 2010.
The share of households in Bedford County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about half
Biggest drop: 2014 to 2015, reaching 19.9%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Bedford County, Tennessee.
How Bedford County has changed
Bedford County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 49,774 in 2019 to 54,228 in 2024.
Bedford County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 54,228, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 26,111. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bedford County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in Bedford County had its largest drop, from 18,374 in 2015 to 15,607 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Bedford County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 18,374 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bedford County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.4% | 2024 12.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,805 | 2024 $69,879 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Bedford County's history
1807
Created 1807. Wikipedia
2000
A tornado in April 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A thunderstorm in May 2004 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 50,237, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bedford County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bedford County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Bedford County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bedford County ranks 4th of the six; Coffee County is highest, at 28.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee County, TN | 65 | 15.5% | 28.5% |
| Bedford County, TN | 59 | 12.2% | 22.7% |
| Lincoln County, TN | 52 | 12.1% | 26.8% |
| Marshall County, TN | 47 | 9.0% | 22.3% |
| Rutherford County, TN | 43 | 10.0% | 15.9% |
| Moore County, TN | 25 | 8.9% | 24.7% |
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 Bedford County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Bedford County's poverty rate was 12.2% in 2024, 71st 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, Bedford County ranks 63rd of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bedford 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 Bedford 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 Bedford County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.