In Madison County, Tennessee, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Madison County, 25.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 90% of U.S. counties.
What drives Madison County's score
In Madison County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 88.2. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 86.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Madison 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.
Madison County does better than most counties on one measure: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.2 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 rent25.9% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.9% · fiscal year 202787th percentile
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- 86.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.9% · August 202576th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people396.2 · 202596th percentile
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- 83.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.6% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.1% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.2% · second quarter of 202677th percentile
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- 68.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.5% · 202478th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.1% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability17.2% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance10.1% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,628 · 202459th percentile
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- 51.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202646th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.8% · 2020 to 202456th 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 Madison 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 Madison County, 17.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Madison County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Madison County had its largest rise, from 18.3% in 2004 to 23.3% in 2009.
In Madison County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 25.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Madison County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (14.9% in 2009) to 16.2% in 2010.
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 16.3%
Low on the chart: 14.9% 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, Madison County, Tennessee.
How Madison County has changed
Madison County's population had its largest rise, from 84,299 in 1994 to 90,999 in 1999.
Madison County's population rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 100,409, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 98,502. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Madison County, Tennessee.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Madison County rose by more than half to 61,056, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 47,051. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Madison County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.3% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.1% | 2024 17.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,372 | 2024 $63,628 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Madison County's history
1821
Formed in 1821 from lands purchased from the Chickasaw in 1818. Wikipedia
1999
A tornado in January 1999 did $10 million in property damage and killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in May 2003 did $30 million in property damage and killed 11 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in February 2008 did $100 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in February 2008 did $10 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 98,823, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1975
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Madison County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Madison County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Madison County, two score higher. Of the group, Madison County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Hardeman County gets the largest, at 40.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardeman County, TN | 98 | 21.5% | 40.0% |
| Haywood County, TN | 92 | 19.8% | 36.4% |
| Madison County, TN | 90 | 17.5% | 25.7% |
| Carroll County, TN | 88 | 16.5% | 37.2% |
| Henderson County, TN | 71 | 14.4% | 29.3% |
| Crockett County, TN | 68 | 14.0% | 27.4% |
| Gibson County, TN | 68 | 14.4% | 29.9% |
| Chester County, TN | 66 | 12.5% | 27.9% |
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 Madison County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Madison County's poverty rate was 17.5% in 2024, 18th 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, Madison County ranks 9th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Madison 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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West Tennessee Legal Services, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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West Tennessee Legal Services, Incorporated
HUD-approved housing counselor
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West Tennessee Legal Services
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 Madison 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 Madison County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.