Unemployment in Smith County, Tennessee, is lower than in 82% of U.S. counties
In Smith County, 3.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 82% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Smith County's score
In Smith County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 59.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 32.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Smith 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.
Smith County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 59.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.7% · August 202559th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people150.9 · 202560th percentile
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- 47.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.8% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.5% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.3% · second quarter of 202664th percentile
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- 42.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.6% · 202436th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.7% · 202437th percentile
- People with a disability15.7% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- People without health insurance8.3% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,325 · 202437th percentile
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- 33.6 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 rent15.2% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.3% · fiscal year 202734th percentile
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- 32.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202618th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.9% · 2020 to 202445th 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 Smith 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 Smith County, 16.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Smith County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Smith County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 21.1% in 2004 to 26.0% in 2009.
In Smith County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 24.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Smith County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.1%; 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 Smith County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about half
Biggest drop: 2023 to 2024, reaching 9.8%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Smith County, Tennessee.
How Smith County has changed
Smith County's population nearly doubled to 20,783, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 17,311. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Smith County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in Smith County fell most sharply on the way to its 2010 low, from 5,090 in 2005 to 4,321 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Smith County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 5,439 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Smith County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.7% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.2% | 2024 11.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,050 | 2024 $71,325 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Smith County's history
1997
A tornado in January 1997 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in May 2010 did $1.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in May 2016 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 19,904, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A tornado in March 2020 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Smith County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Smith County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Smith County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Smith County ranks 6th of the seven; Jackson County is highest, at 35.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County, TN | 77 | 13.9% | 28.1% |
| Jackson County, TN | 69 | 16.3% | 35.9% |
| Macon County, TN | 66 | 16.0% | 27.9% |
| Putnam County, TN | 60 | 18.4% | 27.3% |
| Trousdale County, TN | 42 | 14.5% | 24.6% |
| Smith County, TN | 38 | 11.6% | 24.1% |
| Wilson County, TN | 22 | 7.3% | 15.2% |
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 Smith County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Smith County's poverty rate was 11.6% in 2024, 78th 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, Smith County ranks 88th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Smith 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.
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 Smith County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.