About one in four people in Claiborne County, Tennessee, has a disability
In Claiborne County, 23.1% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives Claiborne County's score
In Claiborne County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 76.1. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 68.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Claiborne 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.
Claiborne County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.9%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a credit card behind (5.4%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.4% · 202472nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.2% · 202469th percentile
- People with a disability23.1% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- People without health insurance9.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,212 · 202485th percentile
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- 68.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.7% · August 202566th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people183.7 · 202570th percentile
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- 68.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202649th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.8% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
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- 65.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.0% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.7% · second quarter of 202673rd percentile
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- 54.8 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 rent16.9% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.4% · fiscal year 202766th 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 Claiborne 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 Claiborne County, 20.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Claiborne County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Claiborne County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 36.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Claiborne County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Claiborne County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 22.8% in 2013 to 25.5% in 2014.
The share of households in Claiborne County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 14.8%
Biggest drop: 2018 to 2019, reaching 18.2%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Claiborne County, Tennessee.
How Claiborne County has changed
Claiborne County's population nearly doubled to 33,070, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 23,837. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Claiborne County, Tennessee.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Claiborne County rose 17% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 9,306 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Claiborne County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 24.5% | 2024 16.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,401 | 2024 $53,212 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Claiborne County's history
1750
Long hunters to Cumberland Gap area. Wikipedia
1801
Established October 29, 1801 from Grainger and Hawkins counties. Wikipedia
1895
Four Seasons Hotel. Wikipedia
2007
A tornado in April 2007 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 32,213. The 2020 Census counted 32,043, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A flash flood in June 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flash flood in March 2021 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A thunderstorm in May 2024 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Claiborne County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Claiborne County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Claiborne County, in Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Claiborne County ranks 5th of the eight; Bell County is highest, at 56.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bell County, KY | 98 | 31.8% | 56.0% |
| Lee County, VA | 96 | 26.0% | 45.8% |
| Hancock County, TN | 94 | 26.1% | 43.6% |
| Whitley County, KY | 92 | 25.5% | 47.6% |
| Campbell County, TN | 83 | 18.9% | 34.5% |
| Claiborne County, TN | 78 | 16.4% | 36.9% |
| Union County, TN | 76 | 17.4% | 30.4% |
| Grainger County, TN | 69 | 14.2% | 31.6% |
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 Claiborne County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Claiborne County's poverty rate was 16.4% in 2024, 27th 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, Claiborne County ranks 23rd of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Claiborne 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 Claiborne 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 Claiborne County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.