About one in six people in Macon County, Tennessee, lives below the poverty line
In Macon County, 16.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 70% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Macon County's score
In Macon County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 76.5. Bankruptcy filings ran at 253.8 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 85% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 74.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Macon 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.
Macon County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (2.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and people with a disability (14.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.9% · August 202567th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people253.8 · 202585th percentile
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- 74.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.2% · August 202576th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.7% · second quarter of 202676th percentile
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- 62.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.0% · 202470th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.0% · 202468th percentile
- People with a disability14.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- People without health insurance9.8% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,183 · 202472nd percentile
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- 43.9 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 rent17.0% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.2% · fiscal year 202744th percentile
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- 40.5 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 202610th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.3% · 2020 to 202470th 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 Macon 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 Macon County, 15.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Macon County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Macon County had its largest rise, from 23.5% in 2004 to 32.9% in 2009.
In Macon County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Macon County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Macon County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 18.2% in 2018 to 15.8% in 2019.
The share of households in Macon County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 13.9% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Macon County, Tennessee.
How Macon County has changed
Macon County's population had its largest rise, from 17,267 in 1994 to 20,064 in 1999.
Macon County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27,189, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 15,881. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Macon County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in Macon County fell most sharply on the way to its 2010 low, from 4,637 in 2005 to 4,003 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Macon County rose by about a fifth to 5,223, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 5,223 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Macon County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.6% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.8% | 2024 16.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,658 | 2024 $59,183 |
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 Macon County's history
2008
A tornado in February 2008 did $14.1 million in property damage and killed 13 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in August 2010 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flash flood in July 2015 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 25,216, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Macon County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Macon County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Macon County, in Tennessee and Kentucky, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Macon County ranks 5th of the eight; Monroe County is highest, at 39.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County, TN | 84 | 19.7% | 34.5% |
| Jackson County, TN | 69 | 16.3% | 35.9% |
| Allen County, KY | 67 | 14.3% | 33.8% |
| Macon County, TN | 66 | 16.0% | 27.9% |
| Monroe County, KY | 63 | 20.0% | 39.3% |
| Trousdale County, TN | 42 | 14.5% | 24.6% |
| Smith County, TN | 38 | 11.6% | 24.1% |
| Sumner County, TN | 32 | 8.3% | 15.7% |
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 Macon County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Macon County's poverty rate was 16.0% in 2024, 31st 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, Macon County ranks 50th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Macon 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.
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 Macon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.