About three in ten people with a credit file in Crockett County, Tennessee, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Crockett County, 28.9% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 70% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Crockett County's score
In Crockett County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 82.3. Bankruptcy filings ran at 357.6 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 94% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 66.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Crockett 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.
Crockett County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.2%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and adults 25 to 54 not working (19.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.9% · August 202570th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people357.6 · 202594th percentile
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- 66.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.8% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.7% · second quarter of 202676th percentile
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- 63.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.0% · 202456th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.0% · 202454th percentile
- People with a disability17.9% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance10.2% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,637 · 202468th percentile
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- 62.2 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 rent20.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.6% · fiscal year 202759th percentile
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- 31.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202622nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.1% · 2020 to 202440th 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 Crockett 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 Crockett County, 19.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Crockett County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Crockett County had its largest rise, from 20.5% in 1999 to 27.1% in 2004.
In Crockett County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 27.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Crockett County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Crockett County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 17.5% in 2019 to 14.7% in 2020.
The share of households in Crockett County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 13.2% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Crockett County, Tennessee.
How Crockett County has changed
Crockett County's population fell 3% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1979 and 1984
High on the chart: 15,003 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Crockett County, Tennessee.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Crockett County rose 6% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 4,052 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Crockett County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.6% | 2024 14.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,871 | 2024 $60,637 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 Crockett County's history
1871
Formed in 1871 from portions of Haywood, Madison, Dyer and Gibson counties. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 17,438. The 2020 Census counted 13,911, 80% of the peak. Census Bureau
1963
A tornado in April 1963 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A tornado in January 1999 did $1.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A thunderstorm in November 2002 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flash flood in May 2010 did $14 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1979
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Crockett County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Crockett County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Crockett County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Crockett County ranks 4th of the six; Haywood County is highest, at 36.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lauderdale County, TN | 98 | 20.7% | 34.7% |
| Haywood County, TN | 92 | 19.8% | 36.4% |
| Madison County, TN | 90 | 17.5% | 25.7% |
| Dyer County, TN | 74 | 14.3% | 26.9% |
| Crockett County, TN | 68 | 14.0% | 27.4% |
| Gibson County, TN | 68 | 14.4% | 29.9% |
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 Crockett County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Crockett County's poverty rate was 14.0% in 2024, 54th 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, Crockett County ranks 44th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Crockett 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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West Tennessee Legal Services
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 Crockett 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 Crockett County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.