Benefit checks make up 40 cents of every dollar of income in Benton County, Tennessee
In Benton County, 39.7% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Benton County's score
In Benton County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 80.0. About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 (29.6%, 2020 to 2024) aren't working, a higher share than in 88% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 79.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Benton 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.
Benton County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (12.1%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a credit card behind (4.7%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202671st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.6% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
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- 79.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.0% · 202475th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.3% · 202480th percentile
- People with a disability23.0% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- People without health insurance10.1% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,138 · 202480th percentile
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- 73.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.3% · August 202561st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people254.6 · 202585th percentile
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- 59.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.2% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.6% · second quarter of 202678th percentile
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- 37.8 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 rent12.1% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.3% · fiscal year 202756th 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 Benton 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 Benton County, 24.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Benton County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Benton County had its largest rise, from 30.8% in 2004 to 36.6% in 2009.
In Benton County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 39.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a fifth more than benefit checks
In Benton County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 39.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Benton County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2019 low, from 20.0% in 2018 to 14.7% in 2019.
The share of households in Benton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 15.8%
Low on the chart: 14.7% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Benton County, Tennessee.
How Benton County has changed
Benton County's population had its largest rise, from 12,928 in 1974 to 14,834 in 1979.
Benton County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16,173
High on the chart: 16,519 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Benton County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in Benton County made its largest gain on the way to its 1995 high, from 4,094 in 1990 to 4,631 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Benton County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 3,709 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Benton County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.7% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.7% | 2024 17.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,121 | 2024 $56,138 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Benton County's history
1835
Created 1835. Wikipedia
1991
A tornado in March 1991 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A tornado in January 1999 did $1 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 16,537. The 2020 Census counted 15,864, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
2001
Sorghum was key crop; last sorghum processing facility closed 2001. Wikipedia
2008
A tornado in February 2008 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
A tornado in March 2020 did $1 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1971
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Benton County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Benton County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Benton County, two score higher. Of the group, Benton County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (39.7%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll County, TN | 88 | 16.5% | 37.2% |
| Henry County, TN | 79 | 17.1% | 29.9% |
| Benton County, TN | 77 | 17.0% | 39.7% |
| Perry County, TN | 75 | 15.9% | 35.5% |
| Decatur County, TN | 65 | 15.0% | 34.3% |
| Houston County, TN | 54 | 15.6% | 39.0% |
| Humphreys County, TN | 53 | 12.2% | 31.3% |
| Stewart County, TN | 41 | 17.1% | 33.5% |
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 Benton County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Benton County's poverty rate was 17.0% in 2024, 23rd 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, Benton County ranks 27th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Benton 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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West Tennessee Legal Services
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 Benton 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 Benton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.