About one in 11 people in Loudon County, Tennessee, lives below the poverty line
In Loudon County, 9.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Loudon County's score
In Loudon County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 55.0. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 27.9. About one in three people (33.0%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 77% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Loudon 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.
Loudon County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 55.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.4% · August 202539th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people181.5 · 202570th percentile
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- 44.3 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 rent15.9% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.8% · fiscal year 202751st percentile
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- 33.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202618th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.5% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
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- 31.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.0% · 202415th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.8% · 202432nd percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance8.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,882 · 202414th percentile
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- 27.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.2% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.1% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.0% · second quarter of 202622nd 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 Loudon 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 Loudon County, 27.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Loudon County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Loudon County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 18.9% in 2004 to 24.6% in 2009.
In Loudon County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 23.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Loudon County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.1%; 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 Loudon County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 6.4%
Biggest drop: 2014 to 2015, reaching 12.2%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Loudon County, Tennessee.
How Loudon County has changed
Loudon County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 54,194 in 2019 to 62,129 in 2024.
Loudon County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 62,129, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 30,856. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Loudon County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in Loudon County had its largest rise, from 10,620 in 2000 to 13,212 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Loudon County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 18,013, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 13,218. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Loudon County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.2% | 2024 9.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,509 | 2024 $84,882 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Loudon County's history
1993
A tornado in February 1993 did $5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A flash flood in May 2003 did $3.92 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A thunderstorm in June 2005 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 54,886, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Loudon County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Loudon County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Loudon County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Loudon County ranks 4th of the six; Monroe County is highest, at 33.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, TN | 75 | 12.6% | 33.9% |
| McMinn County, TN | 71 | 13.7% | 31.6% |
| 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 Loudon County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Loudon County's poverty rate was 9.0% in 2024, 88th 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, Loudon County ranks 92nd of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Loudon 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 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.
Download the CSV for Loudon 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 Loudon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.