Benton County, Tennessee

County Distress Index: Elevated · 58.8 | 16,103 people · 48th most distressed in Tennessee
American Default Research

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Benton County, TN registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 58.8 — 917th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Tennessee, it ranks 48th of 95 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Benton County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 77.4 — worse than roughly 77% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 77.4
Poverty Rate 76
Income vs. State Median 71
Child Poverty Rate 86
Community Vulnerability 77.0
Uninsured Rate 59
Disability Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 67.4
Debt in Collections 62
Medical Debt 70
Student Loan Delinquency 87
Auto Loan Delinquency 64
Credit Card Delinquency 36
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 86
Employment & Wages 40.8
Unemployment Rate 69
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 44
Business Formation Rate 9
Housing Cost Burden 31.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 20
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 25
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 14
Homeownership Rate 49
Rent-to-Income Ratio 50

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Benton County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Benton County
Benton County, TN 58.8 Elevated —
Carroll County, TN 67.6 Serious +8.8
Henry County, TN 66.8 Serious +8.0
Perry County, TN 64.2 Elevated +5.4
Houston County, TN 58.4 Elevated -0.4
Decatur County, TN 58.2 Elevated -0.6
Humphreys County, TN 48.2 Normal -10.6
Stewart County, TN 44.7 Normal -14.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Benton County
Baxter County, AR 58.8 Elevated 0.0
Saline County, MO 58.8 Elevated -0.0
Dyer County, TN 58.8 Elevated +0.0
Wayne County, WV 58.8 Elevated -0.1
Dallas County, MO 58.9 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Benton County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Benton County

Find an Attorney

Tennessee Bar Association — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Tennessee Bar Association — Lawyer Referral Service 615-383-7421

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Benton County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands 615-244-6610 (Nashville); 1-888-244-6610 (statewide hotline)
West Tennessee Legal Services 731-423-0616
Legal Services of South Central Tennessee 931-381-5533
Tennessee Justice Center 615-255-0331
Appalachian Regional Commission — East Tennessee Legal Aid 865-674-0260
Legal Aid of East Tennessee (865) 637-0484

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in Tennessee →

Continue Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Benton County, Tennessee?

    Benton County has a County Distress Index score of 58.8 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 917th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 48th in Tennessee out of 95 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Benton County?

    The primary driver of distress in Benton County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 77.4 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Benton County compare to neighboring counties?

    Benton County (58.8) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Carroll County, TN (67.6); Henry County, TN (66.8); Perry County, TN (64.2).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Benton County?

    Benton County, Tennessee has a population of approximately 16,103 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.