In Lake County, Tennessee, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2014
In 2024, 51 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (51.4%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lake County's score
In Lake County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 94.5. About two in five people with a credit file (41.6%, August 2025) have unpaid debt sent to a collector, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 94.0.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Lake County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Lake County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 94.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector41.6% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people346.6 · 202593rd percentile
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- 94.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line38.4% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability26.2% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$42,267 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line31.2% · 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance15.3% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
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- 86.1 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working44.8% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.9% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202677th percentile
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- 73.7 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.2% · fiscal year 202794th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent18.7% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
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- 72.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202555th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.6% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.7% · Q4 202595th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Lake County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lake County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lake County in 2024, pay from work was 38 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 11 cents. Benefit checks were 51 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 74 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 14 cents.
In Lake County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2014
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Lake County, Tennessee: 51.4% and 37.7% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 51.4% of all personal income in Lake County, Tennessee (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Lake County, 16.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Lake County has changed
The number of people living in Lake County fell by about two in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 8,080 to 6,422. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.3% in 1990 to 5.1% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 8,080 | 2024 6,422 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,530 | 2024 1,452 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.3% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 32.1% | 2024 31.2% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $15,570 | 2024 $42,267 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 13.9% | 2024 51.4% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Lake County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 11,655. The 2020 Census counted 7,005, 60% of the peak. Census Bureau
1811
Reelfoot Lake formed by New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and 1812. Wikipedia
1907
Night Riders of Reelfoot Lake violent conflict 1907–1908 against West Tennessee Land Company drainage plans. Wikipedia
2021
Tornado: $4.5 million in property damage, three deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lake County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Lake County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Lake County, in Tennessee, Missouri and Kentucky, one scores higher. Of the group, Lake County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (51.4%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pemiscot County, MO | 99 | 23.7% | 37.6% |
| Lake County, TN | 97 | 31.2% | 51.4% |
| Fulton County, KY | 96 | 23.9% | 47.0% |
| New Madrid County, MO | 90 | 19.1% | 32.5% |
| Dyer County, TN | 75 | 14.3% | 26.9% |
| Obion County, TN | 63 | 15.6% | 29.8% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Lake County the poorest county in Tennessee?
Yes, Lake County's poverty rate was 31.2% in 2024, the highest of 95 counties in Tennessee (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Lake County ranks 3rd of 95 in the state.
Lake County in photographs
Places in Lake County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Lake County courthouse in Tiptonville, Tennessee.
Photo: Flickr user chiacomo via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Lake County, TN, USA.
Lake County, Tennessee: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Lake County, Tennessee?
31.2% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in three people. Among children it was 38.4%.
Is Lake County the poorest county in Tennessee?
Yes, Lake County's poverty rate was 31.2% in 2024, the highest of 95 counties in Tennessee (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Lake County ranks 3rd of 95 in the state.
What is the population of Lake County, Tennessee?
About 6,422 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 7,005, 60% of the county's peak of 11,655 in 1950.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lake County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Tennessee Justice Center
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Lake County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.