About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Decatur County, Tennessee, are not working
In Decatur County, 30.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Decatur County's score
In Decatur County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 81.1. Income and the safety net comes next, at 70.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Decatur 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.
Decatur County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (3.2%, August 2025) and people with a credit card behind (3.9%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 81.1 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202672nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working30.2% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
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- 70.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.0% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.0% · 202464th percentile
- People with a disability18.3% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance10.3% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,616 · 202485th percentile
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- 67.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.6% · August 202572nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people154.4 · 202561st percentile
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- 48.5 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 rent15.1% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.3% · fiscal year 202764th percentile
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- 29.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.2% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.3% · second quarter of 202646th 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 Decatur 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 Decatur County, 23.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Decatur County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Decatur County had its largest rise, from 21.2% in 1989 to 28.1% in 1994.
In Decatur County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 34.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Decatur County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Decatur County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 21.5% in 2017 to 18.9% in 2018.
The share of households in Decatur County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 14.6% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Decatur County, Tennessee.
How Decatur County has changed
Decatur County's population rose by about a quarter to 11,800, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 10,714. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Decatur County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in Decatur County had its largest rise, from 3,331 in 1990 to 3,870 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Decatur County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 3,870 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Decatur County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.2% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.6% | 2024 15.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,301 | 2024 $53,616 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Decatur County's history
1845
Created November 1845 from west side of Perry County west of Tennessee River. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 11,757. The 2020 Census counted 11,435, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A tornado in April 2010 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flash flood in May 2010 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in February 2011 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A thunderstorm in October 2019 did $3.14 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Decatur County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Decatur County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Decatur County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Decatur County ranks 5th of the seven; Benton County is highest, at 39.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll County, TN | 88 | 16.5% | 37.2% |
| Hardin County, TN | 85 | 18.0% | 33.8% |
| Benton County, TN | 77 | 17.0% | 39.7% |
| Perry County, TN | 75 | 15.9% | 35.5% |
| Henderson County, TN | 71 | 14.4% | 29.3% |
| Wayne County, TN | 66 | 18.8% | 34.6% |
| Decatur County, TN | 65 | 15.0% | 34.3% |
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 Decatur County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Decatur County's poverty rate was 15.0% in 2024, 40th 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, Decatur County ranks 51st of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Decatur 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 Decatur 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 Decatur County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.