About one in 11 people in Marshall County, Tennessee, lives below the poverty line
In Marshall County, 9.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Marshall County's score
In Marshall County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 75.7. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 32.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Marshall 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.
Even so, Marshall County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (276, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 75.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.7% · August 202562nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people276 · 202588th percentile
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- 52.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.7% · second quarter of 202658th percentile
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- 47.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202660th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.3% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
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- 33.7 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 rent17.0% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.2% · fiscal year 202723rd percentile
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- 32.5 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 line11.9% · 202422nd percentile
- People with a disability13.1% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- People without health insurance10.4% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,893 · 202433rd 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 Marshall 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 Marshall County, 16.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Marshall County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Marshall County had its largest rise, from 19.2% in 2004 to 26.7% in 2009.
In Marshall County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 22.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Marshall County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Marshall County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.3% in 2011 to 18.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Marshall County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 6.6%
Low on the chart: 6.3% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Marshall County, Tennessee.
How Marshall County has changed
Marshall County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 33,975 in 2019 to 37,847 in 2024.
Marshall County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 37,847, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 31,049. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Marshall County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in Marshall County fell most sharply on the way to its 2010 low, from 9,643 in 2005 to 7,062 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Marshall County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 18% since
High on the chart: 11,972 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Marshall County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.3% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.8% | 2024 9.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,972 | 2024 $72,893 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Marshall County's history
1952
A tornado in February 1952 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A flash flood in March 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 34,318, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A tornado in April 2023 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Marshall County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Marshall County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Marshall County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Marshall County ranks 4th of the seven; Giles County is highest, at 30.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giles County, TN | 65 | 13.3% | 30.2% |
| Bedford County, TN | 59 | 12.2% | 22.7% |
| Maury County, TN | 52 | 8.7% | 21.4% |
| Lincoln County, TN | 52 | 12.1% | 26.8% |
| Marshall County, TN | 47 | 9.0% | 22.3% |
| Rutherford County, TN | 43 | 10.0% | 15.9% |
| Williamson County, TN | 1 | 4.5% | 6.5% |
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 Marshall County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Marshall 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, Marshall County ranks 78th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Marshall 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 Marshall 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 Marshall County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.