About one in four people in Greene County, Tennessee, has a disability
In Greene County, 23.0% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Greene County's score
In Greene County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 75.3. About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 (26.3%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 78% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 73.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Greene 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.
Greene County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.0%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.3%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 75.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202671st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.3% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
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- 73.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.3% · 202472nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.0% · 202468th percentile
- People with a disability23.0% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- People without health insurance9.2% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,962 · 202473rd percentile
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- 69.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.5% · August 202565th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people197 · 202573rd percentile
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- 60.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.7% · second quarter of 202665th percentile
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- 38.5 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 rent15.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.3% · fiscal year 202745th 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 Greene 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 Greene County, 22.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Greene County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Greene County had its largest rise, from 25.5% in 1999 to 33.0% in 2004.
In Greene County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, but pay from work still brings in 38% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Greene County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 36.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Greene County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.6% in 2011 to 18.4% in 2012.
The share of households in Greene County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 11.7%
Low on the chart: 10.8% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Greene County, Tennessee.
How Greene County has changed
Greene County's population rose by more than half to 73,398, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 62,357. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Greene County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in Greene County had its largest drop, from 28,516 in 2005 to 23,425 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Greene County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 28,516 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Greene County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.7% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.2% | 2024 16.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,586 | 2024 $58,962 |
The table uses 4.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Greene County's history
1783
Formed in 1783 from the original Washington County, North Carolina. Wikipedia
1967
A tornado in March 1967 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $8 million in property damage and killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 70,152, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A flood in September 2024 did $22.7 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Greene County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Greene County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Greene County, in Tennessee and North Carolina, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Greene County ranks 3rd of the seven; Cocke County is highest, at 38.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cocke County, TN | 94 | 20.9% | 38.5% |
| Hamblen County, TN | 81 | 14.8% | 27.5% |
| Greene County, TN | 72 | 16.3% | 36.1% |
| Unicoi County, TN | 71 | 14.4% | 37.8% |
| Hawkins County, TN | 71 | 13.6% | 34.4% |
| Madison County, NC | 56 | 14.9% | 33.4% |
| Washington County, TN | 56 | 13.0% | 25.0% |
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 Greene County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Greene County's poverty rate was 16.3% in 2024, 28th 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, Greene County ranks 32nd of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Greene 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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Telamon Corporation - Tennessee Branch
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid of East Tennessee
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 Greene 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 Greene County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.