In Cannon County, Tennessee, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in three dollars of the typical household's income
In Cannon County, 33.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cannon County's score
In Cannon County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 81.3. Income and the safety net comes next, at 59.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cannon 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.
Cannon County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (2.2%, August 2025) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 81.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.1% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income33.0% · fiscal year 2027top 5%
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- 59.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.1% · 202457th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.4% · 202457th percentile
- People with a disability18.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- People without health insurance8.5% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,364 · 202453rd percentile
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- 59.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.4% · August 202555th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people159.3 · 202562nd percentile
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- 37.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202613th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.5% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
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- 36.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.2% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.0% · second quarter of 202649th 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 Cannon 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 Cannon County, 17.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cannon County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Cannon County had its largest rise, from 21.9% in 2004 to 30.5% in 2009.
In Cannon County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 27.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Cannon County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cannon County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.4% in 2010 to 17.8% in 2011.
The share of households in Cannon County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 10.4%
Biggest drop: 2018 to 2019, reaching 15.6%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cannon County, Tennessee.
How Cannon County has changed
Cannon County's population nearly doubled to 15,142, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 12,499. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cannon County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in Cannon County had its largest drop, from 2,010 in 1990 to 1,682 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Cannon County fell to its lowest on the chart in 1995, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 1,682 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cannon County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.0% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.9% | 2024 14.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,611 | 2024 $65,364 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% 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 Cannon County's history
1974
A tornado in April 1974 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A tornado in May 2001 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A flash flood in May 2003 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 14,506, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A tornado in April 2023 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cannon County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cannon County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Cannon County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cannon County ranks 4th of the six; Warren County is highest, at 32.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County, TN | 77 | 13.9% | 28.1% |
| Warren County, TN | 69 | 15.2% | 32.5% |
| Coffee County, TN | 65 | 15.5% | 28.5% |
| Cannon County, TN | 57 | 14.1% | 27.0% |
| Rutherford County, TN | 43 | 10.0% | 15.9% |
| Wilson County, TN | 22 | 7.3% | 15.2% |
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 Cannon County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Cannon County's poverty rate was 14.1% in 2024, 52nd 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, Cannon County ranks 65th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cannon 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 Cannon 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 Cannon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.