About one in six people in Hardin County, Tennessee, lives below the poverty line
In Hardin County, 18.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 79% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hardin County's score
In Hardin County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 82.7. About one in seven people (14.2%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 86% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 76.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hardin 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.
Hardin County does better than most counties on one measure: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.0% · 202480th percentile
- Children below the poverty line27.0% · 202486th percentile
- People with a disability19.5% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- People without health insurance14.2% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,243 · 202482nd percentile
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- 76.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.5% · August 202562nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people301.1 · 202591st percentile
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- 76.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.2% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.2% · August 202576th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.2% · second quarter of 202677th percentile
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- 61.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202644th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.9% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
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- 57.7 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 rent19.1% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.6% · fiscal year 202759th 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 Hardin 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 Hardin County, 23.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hardin County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Hardin County had its largest rise, from 23.6% in 1999 to 29.3% in 2004.
In Hardin County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 33.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Hardin County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hardin County getting SNAP food aid fell most in two steps: 20.0% in 2019 to 17.6% in 2020; 18.3% in 2021 to 15.9% in 2022.
The share of households in Hardin County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 14.9%
Biggest drop: 2021 to 2022, reaching 15.9%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Hardin County, Tennessee.
How Hardin County has changed
Hardin County's population had its largest rise, from 18,856 in 1974 to 21,376 in 1979.
Hardin County's population rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27,617, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1999 to 2004, reaching 25,514. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hardin County, Tennessee.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Hardin County rose by about a fifth to 8,351, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 7,545. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hardin County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.5% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.6% | 2024 18.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,433 | 2024 $55,243 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Hardin County's history
1819
Founded in November 1819. Wikipedia
2008
A tornado in February 2008 did $17.6 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A thunderstorm in July 2018 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A thunderstorm in October 2019 did $2.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 26,831, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A tornado in March 2023 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hardin County, 19 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hardin County beside its neighbors
Hardin County scores higher than all eight counties that border it, in Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hardin County ranks 5th of the nine; McNairy County is highest, at 39.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardin County, TN | 85 | 18.0% | 33.8% |
| McNairy County, TN | 77 | 16.7% | 39.8% |
| Alcorn County, MS | 73 | 15.4% | 33.0% |
| Henderson County, TN | 71 | 14.4% | 29.3% |
| Tishomingo County, MS | 68 | 15.7% | 34.2% |
| Chester County, TN | 66 | 12.5% | 27.9% |
| Wayne County, TN | 66 | 18.8% | 34.6% |
| Decatur County, TN | 65 | 15.0% | 34.3% |
| Lauderdale County, AL | 55 | 12.8% | 28.4% |
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 Hardin County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Hardin County's poverty rate was 18.0% in 2024, 16th 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, Hardin County ranks 13th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hardin 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 Hardin 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 Hardin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.