About one in five people in Henry County, Tennessee, has a disability
In Henry County, 21.0% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 84% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Henry County's score
In Henry County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 80.1. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 77.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Henry 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.
Henry County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (14.7%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a car or retail loan behind (4.5%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.1% · 202476th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.4% · 202480th percentile
- People with a disability21.0% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- People without health insurance11.3% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,189 · 202484th percentile
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- 77.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.9% · August 202567th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people261.1 · 202586th percentile
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- 70.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202658th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.6% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
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- 61.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.5% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.0% · second quarter of 202672nd percentile
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- 48.0 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 rent14.7% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.4% · fiscal year 202766th 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 Henry 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 Henry County, 24.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Henry County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Henry County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 26.1% in 2004 to 31.6% in 2009.
In Henry County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 29.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Henry County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Henry County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 15.6% in 2010 to 18.3% in 2011.
The share of households in Henry County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 13.1%
Low on the chart: 12.9% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Henry County, Tennessee.
How Henry County has changed
Henry County's population rose 39% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 26,279. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Henry County, Tennessee.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Henry County rose by about a quarter from 1990 to 2025, reaching 11,900, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 12,149 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Henry County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.6% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.6% | 2024 17.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,671 | 2024 $54,189 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Henry County's history
1821
Founded in 1821. Wikipedia
1970
Old Beachy Amish migration to Paris area between 1970 and 1990, completely vacated by 2000. Wikipedia
2001
A tornado in November 2001 did $1.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in May 2003 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A tornado in November 2005 did $6.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 32,330. The 2020 Census counted 32,199, 100% of the peak. Census Bureau
2021
A tornado in December 2021 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Henry County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Henry County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Henry County, in Tennessee and Kentucky, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Henry County ranks 6th of the seven; Benton County is highest, at 39.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll County, TN | 88 | 16.5% | 37.2% |
| Weakley County, TN | 79 | 17.3% | 30.4% |
| Henry County, TN | 79 | 17.1% | 29.9% |
| Benton County, TN | 77 | 17.0% | 39.7% |
| Calloway County, KY | 68 | 15.9% | 29.3% |
| Graves County, KY | 68 | 16.6% | 32.3% |
| Stewart County, TN | 41 | 17.1% | 33.5% |
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 Henry County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Henry County's poverty rate was 17.1% in 2024, 21st 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, Henry County ranks 21st of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Henry 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.
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 Henry County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.