Scott County, Tennessee

County Distress Index: Serious · 69.2 | 22,171 people · 10th most distressed in Tennessee
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Scott County, TN shows significant household financial distress with a score of 69.2 — 251st 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 10th of 95 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Scott County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 85.9 — worse than roughly 86% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 85.9
Poverty Rate 89
Income vs. State Median 89
Child Poverty Rate 80
Community Vulnerability 84.5
Uninsured Rate 72
Disability Rate 97
Employment & Wages 67.5
Unemployment Rate 55
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 64
Business Formation Rate 83
Debt & Delinquency 60.6
Debt in Collections 75
Medical Debt 82
Student Loan Delinquency 4
Auto Loan Delinquency 48
Credit Card Delinquency 75
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 79
Housing Cost Burden 47.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 37
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 18
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 47
Homeownership Rate 63
Rent-to-Income Ratio 71

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Scott County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Scott County
Scott County, TN 69.2 Serious —
McCreary County, KY 72.9 Serious +3.8
Wayne County, KY 72.2 Serious +3.0
Campbell County, TN 70.9 Serious +1.7
Fentress County, TN 62.8 Elevated -6.4
Morgan County, TN 62.4 Elevated -6.8
Pickett County, TN 60.0 Elevated -9.2
Anderson County, TN 57.3 Elevated -11.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Scott County
Washington County, MO 69.2 Serious +0.0
Hughes County, OK 69.1 Serious -0.0
Wayne County, MS 69.2 Serious +0.0
Bryan County, OK 69.2 Serious +0.1
Johnson County, KY 69.1 Serious -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Scott 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 Scott 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

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Scott County has a County Distress Index score of 69.2 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 251st nationally out of 3,144 counties and 10th in Tennessee out of 95 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Scott County?

    The primary driver of distress in Scott County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 85.9 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Scott County compare to neighboring counties?

    Scott County (69.2) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: McCreary County, KY (72.9); Wayne County, KY (72.2); Campbell County, TN (70.9).

  • 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 Scott County?

    Scott County, Tennessee has a population of approximately 22,171 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.