Benefit checks make up 38 cents of every dollar of income in Cumberland County, Tennessee
In Cumberland County, 37.5% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cumberland County's score
In Cumberland County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 66.5. About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 (24.9%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 73% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 61.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cumberland 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.
Cumberland County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.4%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.7%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 66.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202659th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.9% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
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- 61.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.2% · 202449th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.8% · 202467th percentile
- People with a disability19.4% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- People without health insurance8.4% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,432 · 202459th percentile
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- 57.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.7% · August 202552nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people156 · 202561st percentile
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- 49.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202539th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.4% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.1% · second quarter of 202642nd percentile
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- 27.5 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 rent11.4% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.7% · fiscal year 202738th 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 Cumberland 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 Cumberland County, 32.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cumberland County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Cumberland County had its largest rise, from 28.9% in 2004 to 36.2% in 2009.
In Cumberland County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 16% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Cumberland County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 37.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cumberland County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.4% in 2012 to 16.5% in 2013.
The share of households in Cumberland County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 11.3%
Low on the chart: 10.3% 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, Cumberland County, Tennessee.
How Cumberland County has changed
Cumberland County's population had its largest rise, from 39,552 in 1994 to 46,068 in 1999.
Cumberland County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 65,618, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 57,815. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cumberland County, Tennessee.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Cumberland County doubled to 19,249, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 14,633. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cumberland County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.1% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.0% | 2024 13.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,293 | 2024 $63,432 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Cumberland County's history
1930
Cumberland Homesteads. Wikipedia
1965
A tornado in April 1965 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1975
A tornado in April 1975 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A tornado in November 2002 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A tornado in February 2012 did $1 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 61,145, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cumberland County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cumberland County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Cumberland County, seven score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cumberland County ranks 3rd of the nine; Fentress County is highest, at 39.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhea County, TN | 85 | 14.0% | 32.9% |
| White County, TN | 71 | 11.6% | 36.9% |
| Morgan County, TN | 69 | 16.6% | 30.7% |
| Fentress County, TN | 68 | 19.0% | 39.7% |
| Bledsoe County, TN | 62 | 19.4% | 32.4% |
| Putnam County, TN | 60 | 18.4% | 27.3% |
| Van Buren County, TN | 58 | 14.9% | 39.2% |
| Cumberland County, TN | 54 | 13.2% | 37.5% |
| Roane County, TN | 44 | 12.1% | 29.2% |
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 Cumberland County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Cumberland County's poverty rate was 13.2% in 2024, 64th 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, Cumberland County ranks 73rd of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cumberland 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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Crossville Housing Authority
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Cumberland 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 Cumberland County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.