Unemployment in Cheatham County, Tennessee, is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties
In Cheatham County, 2.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cheatham County's score
In Cheatham County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 66.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 18.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cheatham 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.
Even so, Cheatham County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.1%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 66.8 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 rent18.9% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.1% · fiscal year 202778th percentile
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- 53.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.2% · August 202542nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people163.3 · 202564th percentile
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- 42.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.8% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.3% · second quarter of 202638th percentile
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- 25.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.4% · 202410th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.3% · 202419th percentile
- People with a disability13.6% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- People without health insurance8.6% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$89,490 · 202411th percentile
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- 18.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20268th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.2% · 2020 to 202428th 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 Cheatham 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 Cheatham County, 16.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cheatham County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Cheatham County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 19.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Cheatham County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cheatham County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.0% in 2011 to 14.1% in 2012.
The share of households in Cheatham County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 5.9%
Low on the chart: 5.7% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cheatham County, Tennessee.
How Cheatham County has changed
Cheatham County's population had its largest rise, from 30,701 in 1994 to 35,382 in 1999.
Cheatham County's population more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 42,604, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 39,609. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cheatham County, Tennessee.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Cheatham County more than doubled to 9,974, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 5,780. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cheatham County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.5% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.6% | 2024 8.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,551 | 2024 $89,490 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 2.8% 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 Cheatham County's history
1904
Powder mill. Wikipedia
2002
Heavy rain in April 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in May 2010 did $12.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flash flood in February 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 41,072, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flood in March 2021 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cheatham County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cheatham County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Cheatham County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cheatham County ranks 4th of the six; Dickson County is highest, at 23.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, TN | 62 | 10.2% | 22.4% |
| Davidson County, TN | 56 | 12.2% | 10.2% |
| Robertson County, TN | 49 | 9.2% | 20.0% |
| Dickson County, TN | 41 | 10.1% | 23.0% |
| Cheatham County, TN | 35 | 8.4% | 19.9% |
| Williamson County, TN | 1 | 4.5% | 6.5% |
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 Cheatham County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Cheatham County's poverty rate was 8.4% in 2024, 92nd 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, Cheatham County ranks 89th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cheatham 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 Cheatham 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 Cheatham County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.