About one in five people in Obion County, Tennessee, has a disability
In Obion County, 21.8% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Obion County's score
In Obion County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 86.9. Bankruptcy filings ran at 276.2 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 88% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 71.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Obion 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.
Obion County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (3.6%, August 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 86.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.7% · August 202585th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people276.2 · 202588th percentile
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- 71.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.6% · 202468th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.9% · 202467th percentile
- People with a disability21.8% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- People without health insurance8.5% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,186 · 202475th percentile
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- 50.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202629th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.3% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
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- 49.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.6% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.3% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.5% · second quarter of 202675th percentile
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- 36.9 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 rent13.7% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.5% · fiscal year 202748th 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 Obion 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 Obion County, 21.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Obion County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Obion County had its largest rise, from 21.2% in 2004 to 25.9% in 2009.
In Obion County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 29.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Obion County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Obion County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 18.8% in 2018 to 16.6% in 2019.
The share of households in Obion County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 13.4% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Obion County, Tennessee.
How Obion County has changed
Obion County's population rose most sharply from its first year (29,716 in 1969) to 32,285 in 1974.
Obion County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 33,639 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Obion County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in Obion County had its largest drop, from 13,477 in 2005 to 11,519 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Obion County fell 15% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2015
Low on the chart: 9,637 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Obion County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.3% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.4% | 2024 15.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,076 | 2024 $58,186 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Obion County's history
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 32,781. The 2020 Census counted 30,787, 94% of the peak. Census Bureau
2008
A flash flood in April 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A tornado in December 2021 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A flash flood in February 2025 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A thunderstorm in April 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Obion County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Obion County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Obion County, in Tennessee and Kentucky, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Obion County ranks 6th of the seven; Lake County is highest, at 51.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, TN | 97 | 31.2% | 51.4% |
| Fulton County, KY | 96 | 23.9% | 47.0% |
| Weakley County, TN | 79 | 17.3% | 30.4% |
| Dyer County, TN | 74 | 14.3% | 26.9% |
| Gibson County, TN | 68 | 14.4% | 29.9% |
| Obion County, TN | 64 | 15.6% | 29.8% |
| Hickman County, KY | 59 | 18.9% | 35.3% |
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 Obion County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Obion County's poverty rate was 15.6% in 2024, 35th 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, Obion County ranks 56th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Obion 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.
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 Obion County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.