Cocke County, Tennessee

County Distress Index: Serious · 75.6 | 37,404 people · 3rd most distressed in Tennessee
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Cocke County, TN shows significant household financial distress with a score of 75.6 — 54th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Tennessee, it ranks 3rd of 95 counties. It scores higher than all 6 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Cocke County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 87.8 — worse than roughly 88% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 87.8
Poverty Rate 87
Income vs. State Median 88
Child Poverty Rate 88
Community Vulnerability 86.3
Uninsured Rate 81
Disability Rate 92
Debt & Delinquency 84.0
Debt in Collections 89
Medical Debt 96
Student Loan Delinquency 66
Auto Loan Delinquency 87
Credit Card Delinquency 81
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 84
Employment & Wages 66.3
Unemployment Rate 64
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 46
Business Formation Rate 90
Housing Cost Burden 53.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 50
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 42
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 41
Homeownership Rate 65
Rent-to-Income Ratio 69

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Cocke County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Cocke County
Cocke County, TN 75.6 Serious —
Hamblen County, TN 67.5 Serious -8.1
Greene County, TN 58.6 Elevated -17.0
Madison County, NC 54.1 Elevated -21.4
Jefferson County, TN 53.8 Elevated -21.8
Sevier County, TN 52.8 Elevated -22.8
Haywood County, NC 50.5 Elevated -25.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Cocke County
Anson County, NC 75.5 Serious -0.0
Kleberg County, TX 75.5 Serious -0.0
Cibola County, NM 75.5 Serious -0.1
Zapata County, TX 75.7 Serious +0.1
Crisp County, GA 75.4 Serious -0.2

Download Data

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

Find Help in Cocke 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 Cocke 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

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Cocke County has a County Distress Index score of 75.6 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 54th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 3rd in Tennessee out of 95 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Cocke County?

    The primary driver of distress in Cocke County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 87.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Cocke County compare to neighboring counties?

    Cocke County (75.6) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Hamblen County, TN (67.5); Greene County, TN (58.6); Madison County, NC (54.1).

  • 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 Cocke County?

    Cocke County, Tennessee has a population of approximately 37,404 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.