Unemployment in Dickson County, Tennessee, is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties
In Dickson County, 2.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Dickson County's score
In Dickson County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 63.1. Jobs are the lowest part, at 23.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Dickson 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.
Even so, Dickson County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (28.5%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 63.1 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 rent15.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.5% · fiscal year 202794th percentile
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- 62.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.4% · August 202550th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people197.4 · 202574th percentile
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- 38.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.1% · 202423rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.8% · 202426th percentile
- People with a disability17.5% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- People without health insurance8.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$75,713 · 202427th percentile
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- 35.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.2% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.6% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.7% · second quarter of 202651st percentile
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- 23.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20269th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.8% · 2020 to 202438th 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 Dickson 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 Dickson County, 16.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Dickson County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Dickson County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 19.1% in 2004 to 24.2% in 2009.
In Dickson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 23.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Dickson County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Dickson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 15.1% in 2017 to 12.9% in 2018.
The share of households in Dickson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 9.3%
Low on the chart: 8.9% 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, Dickson County, Tennessee.
How Dickson County has changed
Dickson County's population had its largest rise, from 37,538 in 1994 to 42,602 in 1999.
Dickson County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 57,641, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 50,491. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Dickson County, Tennessee.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Dickson County doubled to 18,815, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 15,735. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Dickson County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.3% | 2024 10.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,663 | 2024 $75,713 |
The table uses 3.0% for 2025; the score uses 2.8% 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 Dickson County's history
1803
Created October 25, 1803 as 25th of Tennessee's 95 counties from Montgomery and Robertson counties. Wikipedia
2002
A flash flood in March 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A tornado in April 2006 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 54,315, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A tornado in December 2021 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A tornado in December 2023 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dickson County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Dickson County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Dickson County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Dickson County ranks 4th of the seven; Houston County is highest, at 39.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, TN | 62 | 10.2% | 22.4% |
| Houston County, TN | 54 | 15.6% | 39.0% |
| Humphreys County, TN | 53 | 12.2% | 31.3% |
| Hickman County, TN | 42 | 13.2% | 27.7% |
| Dickson County, TN | 41 | 10.1% | 23.0% |
| Cheatham County, TN | 35 | 8.4% | 19.9% |
| Williamson County, TN | 1 | 4.5% | 6.5% |
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 Dickson County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Dickson County's poverty rate was 10.1% in 2024, 83rd 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, Dickson County ranks 87th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Dickson 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 Dickson 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 Dickson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.