Benefit checks make up 40 cents of every dollar of income in Hardeman County, Tennessee
In Hardeman County, 40.0% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hardeman County's score
In Hardeman County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 93.7. People with a credit card behind: 11.2%, August 2025, higher than in 97% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 91.8.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Hardeman County does better than most counties on one measure: people without health insurance (7.5%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Hardeman County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 93.7 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.4% · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind11.2% · August 202597th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.4% · Q4 202590th percentile
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- 91.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.7% · August 202585th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people481.1 · 202598th percentile
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- 86.8 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working30.5% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202682nd percentile
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- 81.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line26.5% · 202485th percentile
- People with a disability21.8% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$45,433 · 202496th percentile
- People below the poverty line21.5% · 202491st percentile
- People without health insurance7.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
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- 78.5 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.3% · fiscal year 202788th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.2% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Hardeman County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hardeman County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Hardeman County in 2024, pay from work was 48 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 12 cents. Benefit checks were 40 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 13 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Hardeman County, benefit checks rose from 13 to 40 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Hardeman County, Tennessee: 40.0% and 48.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 40.0% of all personal income in Hardeman County, Tennessee (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Hardeman County, 18.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Hardeman County has changed
The number of people living in Hardeman County grew by about 14% between 1969 and 2024, from 22,391 to 25,434. The number of jobs located there fell by about one in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.6% in 1990 to 5.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 22,391 | 2024 25,434 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 7,469 | 2024 6,576 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.6% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 23.3% | 2024 21.5% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $18,046 | 2024 $45,433 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 13.4% | 2024 40.0% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Hardeman County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 28,105. The 2020 Census counted 25,462, 91% of the peak. Census Bureau
1862
Battle of Hatchie Bridge casualties in Civil War October 5, 1862. Wikipedia
1952
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage, four deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hardeman County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Hardeman County beside its neighbors
Hardeman County scores higher than all eight counties that border it, in Tennessee and Mississippi. Of the group, Hardeman County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (40.0%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardeman County, TN | 98 | 21.5% | 40.0% |
| Haywood County, TN | 93 | 19.8% | 36.4% |
| Madison County, TN | 91 | 17.5% | 25.7% |
| Benton County, MS | 86 | 19.9% | 35.7% |
| McNairy County, TN | 76 | 16.7% | 39.8% |
| Alcorn County, MS | 73 | 15.4% | 33.0% |
| Tippah County, MS | 72 | 16.2% | 32.8% |
| Chester County, TN | 67 | 12.5% | 27.9% |
| Fayette County, TN | 44 | 9.3% | 17.6% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Hardeman County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Hardeman County's poverty rate was 21.5% in 2024, 3rd 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, Hardeman County ranks 1st of 95 in the state.
Hardeman County in photographs
Places in Hardeman County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Looking north on Main Street in the community of Pocahontas in Hardeman County, Tennessee with the Norfolk Southern crossing in the background.
Hardeman County, Tennessee: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Hardeman County, Tennessee?
21.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 26.5%.
Is Hardeman County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Hardeman County's poverty rate was 21.5% in 2024, 3rd 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, Hardeman County ranks 1st of 95 in the state.
What is the population of Hardeman County, Tennessee?
About 25,434 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 25,462, 91% of the county's peak of 28,105 in 2000.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hardeman County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Tennessee Justice Center
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,311 approved agencies 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 Hardeman County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Hardeman County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.