In Knox County, Tennessee, benefit checks make up only 17 cents of every dollar of income
In Knox County, 16.6% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Knox County's score
In Knox County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 75.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 22.2. Unemployment averaged 2.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Knox 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.
Even so, Knox County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (22.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 75.5 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent22.7% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.5% · fiscal year 202774th percentile
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- 58.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.8% · August 202552nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people161 · 202563rd percentile
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- 40.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.2% · second quarter of 202633rd percentile
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- 37.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.8% · 202446th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.2% · 202439th percentile
- People with a disability12.1% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- People without health insurance8.3% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$75,465 · 202428th percentile
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- 22.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202611th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.9% · 2020 to 202432nd 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 Knox 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 Knox County, 16.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Knox County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Knox County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 14.5% in 2004 to 17.9% in 2009.
In Knox County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 16.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Knox County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Knox County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.5% in 2013 to 12.9% in 2014.
The share of households in Knox County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
Biggest drop: 2018 to 2019, reaching 10.9%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Knox County, Tennessee.
How Knox County has changed
Knox County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 474,327 in 2019 to 506,748 in 2024.
Knox County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 506,748, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 333,737. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Knox County, Tennessee.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Knox County rose by more than half to 262,703, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 262,703. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Knox County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.2% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.8% | 2024 12.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,300 | 2024 $75,465 |
The table uses 3.0% for 2025; the score uses 2.9% 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 Knox County's history
1792
Created June 11, 1792 by Governor William Blount from parts of Greene and Hawkins counties. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A thunderstorm in November 2000 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A thunderstorm in July 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in February 2019 did $32.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 478,971, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Knox County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Knox County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Knox County, five score higher. Of the group, Knox County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Grainger County gets the largest, at 31.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union County, TN | 76 | 17.4% | 30.4% |
| Grainger County, TN | 69 | 14.2% | 31.6% |
| Anderson County, TN | 62 | 11.5% | 24.4% |
| Sevier County, TN | 55 | 13.2% | 22.1% |
| Jefferson County, TN | 54 | 12.1% | 29.4% |
| Roane County, TN | 44 | 12.1% | 29.2% |
| Knox County, TN | 44 | 12.8% | 16.6% |
| Blount County, TN | 33 | 9.2% | 21.7% |
| Loudon County, TN | 29 | 9.0% | 23.1% |
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 Knox County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Knox County's poverty rate was 12.8% in 2024, 68th 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, Knox County ranks 81st of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Knox 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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KNOX HOUSING PARTNERSHIP, INCORPORATED dba HOMESOURCE EAST TENNESSEE
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Knoxville Area Urban League
HUD-approved housing counselor
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University of Tennessee Extension Office
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid of East Tennessee
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 Knox County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.