About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Sequatchie County, Tennessee, are not working
In Sequatchie County, 31.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 92% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sequatchie County's score
In Sequatchie County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 87.8. About three in ten renters (29.7%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 81.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sequatchie 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.
Sequatchie County does better than most counties on one measure: 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.
- 87.8 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent29.7% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.5% · fiscal year 202780th percentile
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- 81.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.4% · August 202574th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people279.7 · 202588th percentile
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- 78.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.6% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.1% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.4% · second quarter of 202661st percentile
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- 70.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.4% · 202467th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.1% · 202468th percentile
- People with a disability20.9% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- People without health insurance11.9% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,760 · 202452nd percentile
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- 69.7 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 202647th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.2% · 2020 to 202491st 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 Sequatchie 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 Sequatchie County, 21.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sequatchie County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Sequatchie County had its largest rise, from 24.4% in 2004 to 30.8% in 2009.
In Sequatchie County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 31.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Sequatchie County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Sequatchie County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Biggest drop: 2010 to 2011, reaching 18.9%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Sequatchie County, Tennessee.
How Sequatchie County has changed
Sequatchie County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 15,702 in 2019 to 17,620 in 2024.
Sequatchie County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17,620, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 8,773. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sequatchie County, Tennessee.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Sequatchie County nearly doubled to 3,537, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2010 and 2015
High on the chart: 3,537 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sequatchie County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.3% | 2024 15.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,564 | 2024 $65,760 |
The table uses 4.1% 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 Sequatchie County's history
1927
Chattanooga Iron and Coal Company coke production ended 1927. Wikipedia
2003
A flash flood in May 2003 did $5.58 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in April 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 15,826, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sequatchie County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sequatchie County beside its neighbors
Sequatchie County scores higher than all six counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sequatchie County ranks 5th of the seven; Grundy County is highest, at 39.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sequatchie County, TN | 92 | 15.4% | 31.2% |
| Grundy County, TN | 84 | 20.2% | 39.6% |
| Marion County, TN | 82 | 13.8% | 29.0% |
| Warren County, TN | 69 | 15.2% | 32.5% |
| Bledsoe County, TN | 62 | 19.4% | 32.4% |
| Van Buren County, TN | 58 | 14.9% | 39.2% |
| Hamilton County, TN | 54 | 14.5% | 19.6% |
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 Sequatchie County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Sequatchie County's poverty rate was 15.4% in 2024, 38th 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, Sequatchie County ranks 8th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sequatchie 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.
Download the CSV for Sequatchie 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 Sequatchie County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.