About one in four people in Jackson County, Tennessee, has a disability
In Jackson County, 23.9% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jackson County's score
In Jackson County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 76.2. Jobs come next, at 68.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jackson 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.
Jackson County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (12.6%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a credit card behind (5.0%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.3% · 202472nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.4% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability23.9% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- People without health insurance8.4% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,877 · 202482nd percentile
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- 68.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202649th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.4% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
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- 68.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.9% · August 202560th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people210.3 · 202577th percentile
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- 52.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.3% · second quarter of 202664th percentile
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- 40.8 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 rent12.6% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.8% · fiscal year 202760th 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County, 23.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jackson County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Jackson County had its largest rise, from 29.8% in 2004 to 39.4% in 2009.
In Jackson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 35.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Jackson County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 35.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Jackson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Biggest drop: 2016 to 2017, reaching 18.6%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jackson County, Tennessee.
How Jackson County has changed
Jackson County's population rose by about half to 12,376, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 10,788. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jackson County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in Jackson County fell most sharply on the way to its 2010 low, from 1,867 in 2005 to 1,355 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Jackson County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 1,988 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jackson County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.6% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.6% | 2024 16.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,218 | 2024 $54,877 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Jackson County's history
1801
Created November 6, 1801 as the 18th county established in the state, formed from part of Smith County plus Indian lands. Wikipedia
1979
A tornado in June 1979 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 11,638. The 2020 Census counted 11,617, 100% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A flood in August 2010 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A tornado in March 2012 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A tornado in February 2025 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
35 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jackson County, 24 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jackson County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Jackson County, one scores higher. Of the group, Jackson County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (35.9%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County, TN | 84 | 19.7% | 34.5% |
| Jackson County, TN | 69 | 16.3% | 35.9% |
| Macon County, TN | 66 | 16.0% | 27.9% |
| Putnam County, TN | 60 | 18.4% | 27.3% |
| Overton County, TN | 57 | 13.5% | 32.3% |
| Smith County, TN | 38 | 11.6% | 24.1% |
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 Jackson County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Jackson County's poverty rate was 16.3% in 2024, 28th 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, Jackson County ranks 39th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jackson 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.