About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in DeKalb County, Tennessee, is not working
In DeKalb County, 26.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 80% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives DeKalb County's score
In DeKalb County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 68.7. About one in four renters (27.1%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 92% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 68.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in DeKalb 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.
DeKalb County does better than most counties on one measure: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.2%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 68.7 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent27.1% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.2% · fiscal year 202745th percentile
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- 68.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.4% · August 202565th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people183.7 · 202570th percentile
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- 66.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202651st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.8% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
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- 64.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.9% · 202455th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.9% · 202459th percentile
- People with a disability19.5% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- People without health insurance8.7% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,271 · 202469th percentile
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- 63.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.8% · second quarter of 202669th 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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb County, 18.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
DeKalb County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in DeKalb County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 23.4% in 2004 to 28.8% in 2009.
In DeKalb County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 28.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In DeKalb County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in DeKalb County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 21.3% in 2016 to 16.6% in 2017.
The share of households in DeKalb County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 13.2%
Low on the chart: 13.0% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, DeKalb County, Tennessee.
How DeKalb County has changed
DeKalb County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 19,784 in 2019 to 21,747 in 2024.
DeKalb County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21,747, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 18,931. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, DeKalb County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in DeKalb County rose most sharply after its 2000 low, from 4,630 in 2000 to 6,063 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in DeKalb County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 6,063 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, DeKalb County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.0% | 2024 13.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,195 | 2024 $60,271 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 DeKalb County's history
1837
Formed in 1837 by General Assembly of Tennessee. Wikipedia
1995
Hail in May 1995 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A tornado in February 2012 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 20,080, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1974
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered DeKalb County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
DeKalb County beside its neighbors
DeKalb County scores higher than all six counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, DeKalb County ranks 3rd of the seven; White County is highest, at 36.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County, TN | 77 | 13.9% | 28.1% |
| White County, TN | 71 | 11.6% | 36.9% |
| Warren County, TN | 69 | 15.2% | 32.5% |
| Putnam County, TN | 60 | 18.4% | 27.3% |
| Cannon County, TN | 57 | 14.1% | 27.0% |
| Smith County, TN | 38 | 11.6% | 24.1% |
| Wilson County, TN | 22 | 7.3% | 15.2% |
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 DeKalb County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, DeKalb County's poverty rate was 13.9% in 2024, 56th 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, DeKalb County ranks 25th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.