About one in five people in Polk County, Tennessee, has a disability
In Polk County, 20.7% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 83% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Polk County's score
In Polk County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 75.6. Bankruptcy filings ran at 277.3 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 88% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 71.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Polk 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.
Polk County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (3.9%, August 2025) 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.
- 75.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.6% · August 202562nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people277.3 · 202588th percentile
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- 71.3 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 rent20.3% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.2% · fiscal year 202779th percentile
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- 70.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.6% · 202461st percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.4% · 202457th percentile
- People with a disability20.7% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- People without health insurance14.9% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,014 · 202461st percentile
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- 58.1 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 202645th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.3% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
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- 55.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.5% · August 202579th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.0% · second quarter of 202656th 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 Polk 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 Polk County, 21.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Polk County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Polk County had its largest rise, from 24.7% in 2004 to 30.8% in 2009.
In Polk County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Polk County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Polk County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.1% in 2009 to 19.9% in 2010.
The share of households in Polk County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 13.2% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Polk County, Tennessee.
How Polk County has changed
Polk County's population rose by more than half to 18,338, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 15,857. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Polk County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in Polk County had its largest rise in the last span, from 2,244 in 2020 to 2,666 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Polk County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 3,014 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Polk County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.3% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.2% | 2024 14.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,117 | 2024 $63,014 |
The table uses 3.8% 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 Polk County's history
1839
November 28, 1839, from parts of Bradley and McMinn counties. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A flash flood in May 2003 did $4.22 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A thunderstorm in February 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A tornado in November 2016 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 17,544, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1974
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Polk County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Polk County beside its neighbors
Polk County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina. For the share of income from benefit checks, Polk County ranks 5th of the seven; Cherokee County is highest, at 45.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, TN | 77 | 14.6% | 30.8% |
| Murray County, GA | 76 | 15.7% | 29.9% |
| Monroe County, TN | 75 | 12.6% | 33.9% |
| McMinn County, TN | 71 | 13.7% | 31.6% |
| Bradley County, TN | 68 | 11.6% | 25.6% |
| Fannin County, GA | 50 | 13.9% | 32.0% |
| Cherokee County, NC | 49 | 15.4% | 45.0% |
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 Polk County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Polk County's poverty rate was 14.6% in 2024, 43rd 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, Polk County ranks 24th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Polk 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 of East Tennessee
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 Polk County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.