Claiborne County, Tennessee

County Distress Index: Serious · 65.6 | 32,654 people · 19th most distressed in Tennessee
American Default Research

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Claiborne County, TN shows significant household financial distress with a score of 65.6 — 467th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where uninsured and disability rates are well above the national average. Within Tennessee, it ranks 19th of 95 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Claiborne County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 79.6 — worse than roughly 80% of U.S. counties.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 79.6
Uninsured Rate 64
Disability Rate 95
Income & Poverty 78.0
Poverty Rate 80
Income vs. State Median 69
Child Poverty Rate 85
Employment & Wages 63.1
Unemployment Rate 52
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 43
Business Formation Rate 94
Debt & Delinquency 60.2
Debt in Collections 67
Medical Debt 84
Student Loan Delinquency 18
Auto Loan Delinquency 72
Credit Card Delinquency 50
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 71
Housing Cost Burden 47.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 35
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 58
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 31
Homeownership Rate 64
Rent-to-Income Ratio 48

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Claiborne County
Claiborne County, TN 65.6 Serious —
Hancock County, TN 78.1 Serious +12.5
Bell County, KY 77.8 Serious +12.1
Lee County, VA 73.2 Serious +7.5
Campbell County, TN 70.9 Serious +5.2
Whitley County, KY 67.7 Serious +2.0
Union County, TN 61.6 Elevated -4.0
Grainger County, TN 54.8 Elevated -10.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Claiborne County
Oglala Lakota County, SD 65.6 Serious -0.0
Johnson County, AR 65.7 Serious +0.0
Morgan County, KY 65.7 Serious +0.1
Franklin County, IL 65.6 Serious -0.1
Grenada County, MS 65.6 Serious -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Claiborne 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 Claiborne 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

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Claiborne County has a County Distress Index score of 65.6 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 467th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 19th in Tennessee out of 95 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Claiborne County?

    The primary driver of distress in Claiborne County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 79.6 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Claiborne County compare to neighboring counties?

    Claiborne County (65.6) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Hancock County, TN (78.1); Bell County, KY (77.8); Lee County, VA (73.2).

  • 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 Claiborne County?

    Claiborne County, Tennessee has a population of approximately 32,654 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.