Benefit checks make up 40 cents of every dollar of income in McNairy County, Tennessee
In McNairy County, 39.8% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives McNairy County's score
In McNairy County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 82.7. Bankruptcy filings ran at 340.2 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 93% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 80.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in McNairy 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.
McNairy County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (8.5%, 2020 to 2024) and 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.
- 82.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.3% · August 202571st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people340.2 · 202593rd percentile
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- 80.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.1% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.6% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.6% · second quarter of 202676th percentile
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- 70.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.7% · 202474th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.1% · 202476th percentile
- People with a disability16.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- People without health insurance10.1% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,334 · 202479th percentile
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- 64.8 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 202648th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.8% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
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- 32.3 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 rent8.5% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.2% · fiscal year 202755th 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 McNairy 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 McNairy County, 20.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
McNairy County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In McNairy County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 39.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In McNairy County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 39.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in McNairy County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 24.0% in 2018 to 19.7% in 2019.
The share of households in McNairy County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 15.2%
Low on the chart: 14.1% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, McNairy County, Tennessee.
How McNairy County has changed
McNairy County's population had its largest rise, from 20,270 in 1974 to 22,379 in 1979.
McNairy County's population rose 42% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 26,109 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, McNairy County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in McNairy County had its largest drop, from 7,768 in 2005 to 5,696 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in McNairy County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 37% since
High on the chart: 8,902 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, McNairy County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.5% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.7% | 2024 16.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,339 | 2024 $56,334 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 McNairy County's history
1991
A tornado in March 1991 did $25 million in property damage and killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 26,075. The 2020 Census counted 25,866, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2019
A thunderstorm in October 2019 did $2.69 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A tornado in March 2023 did $20 million in property damage and killed nine people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A tornado in April 2025 did $11 million in property damage and killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered McNairy County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
McNairy County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border McNairy County, in Tennessee and Mississippi, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, McNairy County ranks 2nd of the five; Hardeman County is highest, at 40.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardeman County, TN | 98 | 21.5% | 40.0% |
| Hardin County, TN | 85 | 18.0% | 33.8% |
| McNairy County, TN | 77 | 16.7% | 39.8% |
| Alcorn County, MS | 73 | 15.4% | 33.0% |
| 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 McNairy County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, McNairy County's poverty rate was 16.7% in 2024, 24th 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, McNairy County ranks 26th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in McNairy 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
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 McNairy 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 McNairy County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.