Hancock County, Tennessee
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Hancock County. Population: 6,956 (tiny).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Hancock County, TN shows significant household financial distress with a score of 78.1 — 16th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Tennessee, it ranks 1st of 95 counties. It scores higher than all 5 of its neighboring counties.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Hancock County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Income & Poverty
Primary DriverEmployment & Wages
Community Vulnerability
Debt & Delinquency
Housing Cost Burden
How Hancock County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock County, TN | 78.1 | Serious Stress | — |
| Lee County, VA | 73.2 | Serious Stress | -5.0 |
| Claiborne County, TN | 65.6 | Serious Stress | -12.5 |
| Scott County, VA | 63.6 | Elevated | -14.5 |
| Hawkins County, TN | 62.2 | Elevated | -15.9 |
| Grainger County, TN | 54.8 | Elevated | -23.4 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (tiny) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilkinson County, MS | 78.2 | Serious Stress | +0.1 |
| Dimmit County, TX | 77.8 | Serious Stress | -0.4 |
| Hancock County, GA | 77.5 | Serious Stress | -0.6 |
| Lee County, AR | 78.8 | Serious Stress | +0.7 |
| Issaquena County, MS | 77.4 | Serious Stress | -0.8 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Hancock County as a CSV file.
Resources
Hancock County scores in the Serious Stress zone. If you or someone you know is experiencing financial hardship, free help is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Hancock County, Tennessee?
Hancock County has a County Distress Index score of 78.1 out of 100, placing it in the Serious Stress zone. It ranks 16th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 1st in Tennessee out of 95 counties.
What drives financial distress in Hancock County?
The primary driver of distress in Hancock County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 95.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.
How does Hancock County compare to neighboring counties?
Hancock County (78.1) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Lee County, VA (73.2); Claiborne County, TN (65.6); Scott County, VA (63.6).
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.
What is the population of Hancock County?
Hancock County, Tennessee has a population of approximately 6,956 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.