About one in five people in Humphreys County, Tennessee, has a disability
In Humphreys County, 19.2% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 75% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Humphreys County's score
In Humphreys County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 63.8. Bankruptcy filings ran at 187.4 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 71% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 62.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Humphreys 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.
Humphreys County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.2%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.8%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 63.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.7% · August 202555th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people187.4 · 202571st percentile
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- 62.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.3% · August 202576th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.8% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.4% · second quarter of 202665th percentile
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- 56.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.2% · 202441st percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.6% · 202442nd percentile
- People with a disability19.2% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- People without health insurance11.6% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,537 · 202447th percentile
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- 51.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202639th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.9% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
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- 26.1 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 rent13.2% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.8% · fiscal year 202729th 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 Humphreys 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 Humphreys County, 20.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Humphreys County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Humphreys County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 24.7% in 2004 to 31.4% in 2009.
In Humphreys County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 31.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Humphreys County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Humphreys County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 18.1% in 2012 to 14.3% in 2013.
The share of households in Humphreys County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 11.5%
Low on the chart: 8.6% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Humphreys County, Tennessee.
How Humphreys County has changed
Humphreys County's population rose by about half to 19,554, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 17,881. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Humphreys County, Tennessee.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Humphreys County rose 6% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 2010 and 2015
High on the chart: 5,790 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Humphreys County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.3% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.2% | 2024 12.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,558 | 2024 $67,537 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Humphreys County's history
1809
Established in 1809 from parts of Stewart County. Wikipedia
1978
Propane tank car explosion February 24, 1978 in downtown Waverly killed 16 people. Wikipedia
2010
A flash flood in May 2010 did $2.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A thunderstorm in October 2019 did $2.41 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 18,990, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
Major flooding August 21, 2021 in Waverly with over 17 inches of rainfall killed 20 people. Wikipedia
2021
A flash flood in August 2021 did $100 million in property damage and killed 19 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flash flood in August 2021 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Humphreys County, 18 of them for flooding. FEMA
Humphreys County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Humphreys County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Humphreys County ranks 4th of the six; Benton County is highest, at 39.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton County, TN | 77 | 17.0% | 39.7% |
| Perry County, TN | 75 | 15.9% | 35.5% |
| Houston County, TN | 54 | 15.6% | 39.0% |
| Humphreys County, TN | 53 | 12.2% | 31.3% |
| Hickman County, TN | 42 | 13.2% | 27.7% |
| Dickson County, TN | 41 | 10.1% | 23.0% |
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 Humphreys County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Humphreys County's poverty rate was 12.2% in 2024, 71st 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, Humphreys County ranks 74th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Humphreys 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 Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands
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 Humphreys 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 Humphreys County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.