Pickett County, Tennessee

County Distress Index: Elevated · 60.0 | 5,128 people · 43rd most distressed in Tennessee
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Pickett County, TN registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 60.0 — 832nd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Tennessee, it ranks 43rd of 95 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Pickett County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 80.5 — worse than roughly 81% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 80.5
Poverty Rate 71
Income vs. State Median 91
Child Poverty Rate 80
Employment & Wages 76.5
Unemployment Rate 78
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 74
Business Formation Rate 78
Community Vulnerability 66.6
Uninsured Rate 38
Disability Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 48.4
Debt in Collections 49
Medical Debt 78
Student Loan Delinquency 63
Auto Loan Delinquency 5
Credit Card Delinquency 51
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 45
Housing Cost Burden 27.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 13
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 21
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 16
Homeownership Rate 10
Rent-to-Income Ratio 79

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Pickett County
Pickett County, TN 60.0 Elevated —
Wayne County, KY 72.2 Serious +12.2
Scott County, TN 69.2 Serious +9.2
Clinton County, KY 67.3 Serious +7.4
Clay County, TN 65.8 Serious +5.9
Fentress County, TN 62.8 Elevated +2.8
Overton County, TN 52.1 Elevated -7.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Pickett County
Corson County, SD 60.0 Elevated +0.1
Garza County, TX 60.1 Elevated +0.1
Leslie County, KY 59.7 Elevated -0.2
Dewey County, SD 60.2 Elevated +0.2
San Saba County, TX 59.7 Elevated -0.2

Download Data

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

Find Help in Pickett 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 Pickett 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 Pickett County, Tennessee?

    Pickett County has a County Distress Index score of 60.0 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 832nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 43rd in Tennessee out of 95 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Pickett County?

    The primary driver of distress in Pickett County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 80.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Pickett County compare to neighboring counties?

    Pickett County (60.0) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Wayne County, KY (72.2); Scott County, TN (69.2); Clinton County, KY (67.3).

  • 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 Pickett County?

    Pickett County, Tennessee has a population of approximately 5,128 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.