About one in four people in Hancock County, Tennessee, lives below the poverty line
In Hancock County, 26.1% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hancock County's score
In Hancock County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 94.9. About three in ten renters (29.9%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 90.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hancock 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.
Hancock County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (71.9, 2025) and people with a credit card behind (4.9%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.9 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 rent29.9% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.7% · fiscal year 202794th percentile
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- 90.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line26.1% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line38.7% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability22.9% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- People without health insurance11.3% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$41,664 · 2024top 5%
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- 86.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202686th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.5% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
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- 73.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.1% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score52.8% · second quarter of 202685th percentile
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- 51.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.7% · August 202583rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people71.9 · 202520th 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 Hancock 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 Hancock County, 22.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hancock County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Hancock County had its largest rise, from 18.8% in 1974 to 26.0% in 1979.
In Hancock County, benefit checks brought in more than pay in two of the bars shown, but pay leads in 2024
In Hancock County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 43.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hancock County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 36.8% in 2017 to 30.4% in 2018.
The share of households in Hancock County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 34.8%
Low on the chart: 30.2% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Hancock County, Tennessee.
How Hancock County has changed
Hancock County's population fell most sharply on the way to its 1974 low, from 6,838 in 1969 to 6,446 in 1974.
Hancock County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 7,038 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hancock County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in Hancock County had its largest rise, from 898 in 1990 to 1,199 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Hancock County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 1,199 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hancock County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 38.9% | 2024 26.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $11,652 | 2024 $41,664 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 5.4% 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 Hancock County's history
1848
Created from parts of Hawkins and Claiborne counties. The act establishing the county was passed by the state legislature in 1844, but the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled in favor of the new county in 1848. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 11,231. The 2020 Census counted 6,662, 59% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hancock County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hancock County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Hancock County, in Tennessee and Virginia, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hancock County ranks 2nd of the six; Lee County is highest, at 45.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee County, VA | 96 | 26.0% | 45.8% |
| Hancock County, TN | 94 | 26.1% | 43.6% |
| Scott County, VA | 81 | 20.1% | 40.5% |
| Claiborne County, TN | 78 | 16.4% | 36.9% |
| Hawkins County, TN | 71 | 13.6% | 34.4% |
| Grainger County, TN | 69 | 14.2% | 31.6% |
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 Hancock County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Hancock County's poverty rate was 26.1% in 2024, 2nd 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, Hancock County ranks 5th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hancock 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 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 Hancock 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 Hancock County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.