About one in five people in Putnam County, Tennessee, lives below the poverty line
In Putnam County, 18.4% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 81% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Putnam County's score
In Putnam County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 68.7. Bankruptcy filings ran at 231.4 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 82% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 67.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Putnam 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.
Putnam County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (13.5%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.5%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 68.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.5% · August 202555th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people231.4 · 202582nd percentile
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- 67.9 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 rent23.0% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.4% · fiscal year 202757th percentile
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- 63.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.4% · 202481st percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.8% · 202471st percentile
- People with a disability13.5% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- People without health insurance10.6% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,722 · 202465th percentile
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- 45.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.5% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.3% · second quarter of 202646th percentile
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- 38.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202631st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.1% · 2020 to 202446th 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 Putnam 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 Putnam County, 16.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Putnam County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Putnam County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 27.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Putnam County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Putnam County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 11.1% in 2019 to 9.9% in 2020.
The share of households in Putnam County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 8.6% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Putnam County, Tennessee.
How Putnam County has changed
Putnam County's population had its largest rise, from 34,940 in 1969 to 41,147 in 1974.
Putnam County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 84,894, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 51,083. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Putnam County, Tennessee.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Putnam County rose by more than half to 39,901, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 28,834. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Putnam County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.1% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.9% | 2024 18.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,838 | 2024 $61,722 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Putnam County's history
1974
A tornado in April 1974 killed 10 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in March 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in August 2010 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 79,854, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A tornado in March 2020 did $100 million in property damage and killed 19 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Putnam County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Putnam County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Putnam County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Putnam County ranks 7th of the eight; Fentress County is highest, at 39.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County, TN | 77 | 13.9% | 28.1% |
| White County, TN | 71 | 11.6% | 36.9% |
| Jackson County, TN | 69 | 16.3% | 35.9% |
| Fentress County, TN | 68 | 19.0% | 39.7% |
| Putnam County, TN | 60 | 18.4% | 27.3% |
| Overton County, TN | 57 | 13.5% | 32.3% |
| Cumberland County, TN | 54 | 13.2% | 37.5% |
| Smith County, TN | 38 | 11.6% | 24.1% |
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 Putnam County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Putnam County's poverty rate was 18.4% in 2024, 15th 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, Putnam County ranks 61st of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Putnam 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 Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands
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 Putnam 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 Putnam County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.