In Sevier County, Tennessee, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Sevier County, 23.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 71% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sevier County's score
In Sevier County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 75.1. Bankruptcy filings ran at 222.3 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 80% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 58.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sevier 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.
Sevier County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and people with a car or retail loan behind (3.6%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 75.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.6% · August 202569th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people222.3 · 202580th percentile
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- 58.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.2% · 202449th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.2% · 202456th percentile
- People with a disability15.2% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- People without health insurance13.3% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,315 · 202460th percentile
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- 52.4 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 rent15.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.0% · fiscal year 202771st percentile
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- 47.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.6% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.5% · second quarter of 202662nd percentile
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- 32.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202624th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.1% · 2020 to 202440th 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 Sevier 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 Sevier County, 20.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sevier County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Sevier County had its largest rise, from 17.5% in 2004 to 24.0% in 2009.
In Sevier County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 22.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Sevier County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.1%; 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 Sevier County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 7.2%
Biggest drop: 2018 to 2019, reaching 12.9%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Sevier County, Tennessee.
How Sevier County has changed
Sevier County's population had its largest rise, from 78,610 in 2004 to 89,096 in 2009.
Sevier County's population more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 100,184, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 100,184. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sevier County, Tennessee.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Sevier County more than doubled to 53,214, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 53,214. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sevier County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.7% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.1% | 2024 13.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,910 | 2024 $63,315 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Sevier County's history
1995
A thunderstorm in September 1995 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A marine high wind in July 1999 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
Lightning in July 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in February 2019 did $3.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 98,380, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sevier County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sevier County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Sevier County, in Tennessee and North Carolina, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sevier County ranks 5th of the seven; Cocke County is highest, at 38.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cocke County, TN | 94 | 20.9% | 38.5% |
| Swain County, NC | 63 | 15.6% | 38.0% |
| Sevier County, TN | 55 | 13.2% | 22.1% |
| Jefferson County, TN | 54 | 12.1% | 29.4% |
| Haywood County, NC | 50 | 13.6% | 32.2% |
| Knox County, TN | 44 | 12.8% | 16.6% |
| Blount County, TN | 33 | 9.2% | 21.7% |
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 Sevier County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Sevier County's poverty rate was 13.2% in 2024, 64th 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, Sevier County ranks 69th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sevier 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 Sevier 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 Sevier County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.