About one in five people in Gibson County, Tennessee, has a disability
In Gibson County, 21.1% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 84% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Gibson County's score
In Gibson County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 83.9. Bankruptcy filings ran at 393.8 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 71.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Gibson 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.
Gibson County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.5%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.5%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 83.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.3% · August 202571st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people393.8 · 202595th percentile
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- 71.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.5% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.1% · August 202574th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.4% · second quarter of 202673rd percentile
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- 65.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.4% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.5% · 202451st percentile
- People with a disability21.1% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance9.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,163 · 202467th percentile
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- 52.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202641st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.0% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
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- 30.7 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 rent13.5% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.5% · fiscal year 202736th 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 Gibson 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 Gibson County, 17.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Gibson County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Gibson County had its largest rise, from 22.1% in 1999 to 28.6% in 2004.
In Gibson County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 29.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Gibson County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Gibson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.0% in 2010 to 18.2% in 2011.
The share of households in Gibson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 16.5%
Low on the chart: 15.6% 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, Gibson County, Tennessee.
How Gibson County has changed
Gibson County's population fell most sharply on the way to its 1989 low, from 48,304 in 1984 to 46,537 in 1989.
Gibson County's population rose 8% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
High on the chart: 51,422 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Gibson County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in Gibson County had its largest rise in the last span, from 14,106 in 2020 to 16,381 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Gibson County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 19,001 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Gibson County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.8% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.8% | 2024 14.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,793 | 2024 $61,163 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Gibson County's history
1819
Chickasaw Cession opened lands to white settlement. Wikipedia
1823
Established October 21, 1823 by private act; territory formerly part of Carroll County. Wikipedia
1952
A tornado in March 1952 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A tornado in April 2006 did $25 million in property damage and killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A tornado in April 2006 did $15 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in May 2010 did $500 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 50,429, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1971
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Gibson County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Gibson County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Gibson County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Gibson County ranks 3rd of the seven; Carroll County is highest, at 37.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County, TN | 90 | 17.5% | 25.7% |
| Carroll County, TN | 88 | 16.5% | 37.2% |
| Weakley County, TN | 79 | 17.3% | 30.4% |
| Dyer County, TN | 74 | 14.3% | 26.9% |
| Crockett County, TN | 68 | 14.0% | 27.4% |
| Gibson County, TN | 68 | 14.4% | 29.9% |
| Obion County, TN | 64 | 15.6% | 29.8% |
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 Gibson County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Gibson County's poverty rate was 14.4% in 2024, 47th 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, Gibson County ranks 46th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Gibson 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 Gibson 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 Gibson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.