Perry County, Tennessee

County Distress Index: Elevated · 64.2 | 8,891 people · 25th most distressed in Tennessee
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Perry County, TN registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 64.2 — 546th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where uninsured and disability rates are well above the national average. Within Tennessee, it ranks 25th of 95 counties. It scores higher than all 6 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Perry County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 84.4 — worse than roughly 84% of U.S. counties.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 84.4
Uninsured Rate 91
Disability Rate 78
Income & Poverty 79.7
Poverty Rate 76
Income vs. State Median 81
Child Poverty Rate 83
Debt & Delinquency 56.7
Debt in Collections 76
Medical Debt 88
Student Loan Delinquency 63
Auto Loan Delinquency 29
Credit Card Delinquency 18
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 66
Employment & Wages 55.8
Unemployment Rate 86
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 41
Business Formation Rate 40
Housing Cost Burden 44.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 28
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 54
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 33
Homeownership Rate 47
Rent-to-Income Ratio 60

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Perry County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Perry County
Perry County, TN 64.2 Elevated —
Wayne County, TN 64.0 Elevated -0.2
Lewis County, TN 61.0 Elevated -3.2
Benton County, TN 58.8 Elevated -5.4
Decatur County, TN 58.2 Elevated -6.0
Hickman County, TN 57.2 Elevated -7.0
Humphreys County, TN 48.2 Normal -16.0

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Perry County
Coleman County, TX 64.2 Elevated +0.0
Wilcox County, GA 64.2 Elevated -0.0
Johnson County, GA 64.2 Elevated -0.0
Stephens County, TX 64.2 Elevated -0.1
Cotton County, OK 64.4 Elevated +0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Perry County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Perry County

Find an Attorney

Tennessee Bar Association — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Tennessee Bar Association — Lawyer Referral Service 615-383-7421

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Perry County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands 615-244-6610 (Nashville); 1-888-244-6610 (statewide hotline)
West Tennessee Legal Services 731-423-0616
Legal Services of South Central Tennessee 931-381-5533
Tennessee Justice Center 615-255-0331
Appalachian Regional Commission — East Tennessee Legal Aid 865-674-0260
Legal Aid of East Tennessee (865) 637-0484

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Perry County, Tennessee?

    Perry County has a County Distress Index score of 64.2 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 546th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 25th in Tennessee out of 95 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Perry County?

    The primary driver of distress in Perry County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 84.4 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Perry County compare to neighboring counties?

    Perry County (64.2) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Wayne County, TN (64.0); Lewis County, TN (61.0); Benton County, TN (58.8).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Perry County?

    Perry County, Tennessee has a population of approximately 8,891 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.