About two in five people with a credit file in Shelby County, Tennessee, have unpaid debt sent to a collector

In Shelby County, 39.6% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.

Photo of Ross Kilburn
Data from
County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026
4th
of 95 counties in Tennessee
95score /100

More distressed than 95% of U.S. counties.

What drives Shelby County's score

In Shelby County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 96.8. Bankruptcy filings ran at 704.5 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 99% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 91.4.

The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Shelby 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.

Shelby County does better than most counties on one measure: people with a disability (12.8%, 2020 to 2024).

A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.

  • Collections and bankruptcy

    Biggest factor
    96.8 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025

    • People with unpaid debt sent to a collector
      39.6% · August 2025
      93rd percentile
    • Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people
      704.5 · 2025
      99th percentile

  • Late payments

    91.4 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026

    • People with a credit card behind
      9.0% · August 2025
      90th percentile
    • People with a car or retail loan behind
      12.0% · August 2025
      96th percentile
    • People with a subprime credit score
      53.2% · second quarter of 2026
      86th percentile

  • Housing costs

    84.6 of 100

    Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027

    • Renters paying half their income or more in rent
      26.5% · 2020 to 2024
      90th percentile
    • Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income
      24.0% · fiscal year 2027
      78th percentile

  • Income and safety net

    66.0 of 100

    Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey

    • People below the poverty line
      19.0% · 2024
      83rd percentile
    • Children below the poverty line
      29.9% · 2024
      91st percentile
    • People with a disability
      12.8% · 2020 to 2024
      20th percentile
    • People without health insurance
      12.0% · 2020 to 2024
      78th percentile
    • Median household income (lower income, longer bar)
      $65,005 · 2024
      55th percentile

  • Jobs

    65.4 of 100

    Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey

    • Unemployment rate, average over the latest year
      4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026
      71st percentile
    • Adults 25 to 54 not working
      22.2% · 2020 to 2024
      59th percentile

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 Shelby 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 Shelby County, 14.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.

Cents of every dollar of income, 2024

Shelby County

63 17 20

Tennessee

64 16 20

United States

61 21 18
  • Pay from work
  • Investments and rent
  • Benefit checks
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4), shares of all personal income received by residents, 2024. Pay from work is total income minus the other two, so the three add to 100.

In Shelby County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 19.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks

In Shelby County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.

  • Benefit checks
  • Pay from work
0%45%90% 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 0%45%90% 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4), shares of all personal income received by residents, Shelby County, Tennessee American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/tennessee/shelby-county-tn/
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The share of households in Shelby County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (15.1% in 2009) to 16.7% in 2010.

The share of households in Shelby County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter

Low on the chart: 15.1% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Shelby County, Tennessee.

0%15%30% 15.1%15.5% 2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 0%15%30% 15.1%15.5% 20092011201320152017201920212024
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/tennessee/shelby-county-tn/
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How Shelby County has changed

Shelby County's population had its largest rise, from 781,702 in 1984 to 824,206 in 1989.

Shelby County's population rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 910,530

High on the chart: 934,936 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Shelby County, Tennessee.

0500,0001,000,000 714,258910,530 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 0500,0001,000,000 714,258910,530 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/tennessee/shelby-county-tn/
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The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.

The number of jobs located in Shelby County rose 13% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000

High on the chart: 499,921 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Shelby County, Tennessee.

0250,000500,000 418,753471,160 19901995200020052010201520202025 0250,000500,000 418,753471,160 19901995200020052010201520202025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/tennessee/shelby-county-tn/
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MeasureThenNowSource
Unemployment rateBLS LAUS 1990 4.5% 2025 4.6% BLS LAUS
People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE 1989 19.9% 2024 19.0% Census SAIPE
Median household incomeCensus SAIPE 1989 $26,348 2024 $65,005 Census SAIPE

Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.

Dated events in Shelby County's history

  1. 1994

    A tornado in November 1994 did $50 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database

  2. 2003

    A thunderstorm in July 2003 did $40 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database

  3. 2008

    A tornado in February 2008 did $100 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database

  4. 2011

    A flood in May 2011 did $2 billion in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  5. 2020

    The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 929,744, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau

  6. Since 1973

    28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Shelby County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA

Shelby County beside its neighbors

Of the six counties that border Shelby County, in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Shelby County ranks 5th of the seven; Crittenden County is highest, at 31.3%.

CountyDistress scoreScoreRank in its state Poverty rateBenefit checks, share of incomeBenefit checks
Crittenden County, AR 99 2nd of 75 22.5% 31.3%
Mississippi County, AR 97 8th of 75 20.0% 28.6%
Marshall County, MS 97 17th of 82 20.4% 31.2%
Shelby County, TN 95 4th of 95 19.0% 19.5%
Tipton County, TN 62 59th of 95 13.6% 24.0%
DeSoto County, MS 59 78th of 82 9.6% 16.6%
Fayette County, TN 43 83rd of 95 9.3% 17.6%

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 Shelby County the poorest county in Tennessee?

No, Shelby County's poverty rate was 19.0% in 2024, 11th 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, Shelby County ranks 4th of 95 in the state.

If you're behind on your mortgage in Shelby 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.

Tennessee foreclosure guide →

The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.

Download the CSV for Shelby County · Every U.S. county (CSV)

Cite this Shelby County, Tennessee, scores 95 on the County Distress Index (data through Sep 2026): more distressed than 95% of U.S. counties · American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/tennessee/shelby-county-tn/

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 Shelby County comes from, 2024.
  • History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.