Benefit checks make up 31 cents of every dollar of income in Lawrence County, Tennessee
In Lawrence County, 31.4% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 70% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lawrence County's score
In Lawrence County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 66.5. About one in seven people (14.3%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 87% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 66.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lawrence 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.
Lawrence County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.7%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 66.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.9% · 202455th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.8% · 202453rd percentile
- People with a disability18.1% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- People without health insurance14.3% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,295 · 202467th percentile
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- 66.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202663rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.1% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
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- 65.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.0% · August 202560th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people177.8 · 202569th percentile
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- 58.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.7% · second quarter of 202662nd percentile
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- 39.7 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 rent16.5% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.7% · fiscal year 202739th 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County, 17.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lawrence County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Lawrence County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 26.1% in 2004 to 33.0% in 2009.
In Lawrence County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 31.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Lawrence County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 17.3% in 2013 to 19.4% in 2014.
The share of households in Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 13.3% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lawrence County, Tennessee.
How Lawrence County has changed
Lawrence County's population had its largest rise, from 29,070 in 1969 to 32,018 in 1974.
Lawrence County's population rose by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 46,467, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 35,258. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lawrence County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in Lawrence County had its largest rise, from 11,601 in 1990 to 14,043 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Lawrence County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 14,043 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lawrence County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.6% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.6% | 2024 13.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,324 | 2024 $61,295 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Lawrence County's history
1817
1817, from Hickman and Giles counties. Wikipedia
1870
German Catholics, skilled tradesmen, arrived in area. Wikipedia
1994
A tornado in June 1994 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
A tornado in May 1995 did $4.6 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A flash flood in July 1998 did $4 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A flash flood in June 2014 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 44,159, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lawrence County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lawrence County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Lawrence County, in Tennessee and Alabama, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lawrence County ranks 2nd of the six; Wayne County is highest, at 34.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis County, TN | 69 | 14.1% | 29.2% |
| Wayne County, TN | 66 | 18.8% | 34.6% |
| Giles County, TN | 65 | 13.3% | 30.2% |
| Lawrence County, TN | 65 | 13.9% | 31.4% |
| Lauderdale County, AL | 55 | 12.8% | 28.4% |
| Maury County, TN | 52 | 8.7% | 21.4% |
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 Lawrence County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Lawrence County's poverty rate was 13.9% in 2024, 56th 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, Lawrence County ranks 53rd of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lawrence 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.