Smith County, Tennessee
Above the national median for bankruptcy filing rate — and 20.7× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Glacier County, MT — 7).
Main Findings
Smith County, Tennessee ranks 2,141st most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Smith sits near the national median across major distress indicators.
- 2,141st of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Second-least distressed fifth, 88th in Tennessee.
- A bankruptcy filing rate of 151 (U.S. median 126). Bankruptcy filing rate at the 60th percentile nationally.
- Disability rate at 17% — national median 16%, ranked at the 62nd percentile.
- Auto loan delinquency at 6% — national median 5%, ranked at the 55th percentile.
- Debt Burden (housing basis) domain score 32 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 30-point drop to Wilson County marks where the Tennessee distress corridor ends.
"Smith County ranks in the second-least distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context."
"The CDI places this county in the second-least distressed fifth nationally. The rank still belongs in context with state position and the highest-scoring local domain."
The Indicators Behind Smith County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Smith County's value shown alongside TN's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Smith | TN median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 44 · Rank 1,776 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 6% | 5% | 55th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 6% | 5% | 23rd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 24% | 26% | 23% | 53rd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 60 · Rank 1,106 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 26% | 28% | 23% | 60th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 151 | 216 | 126 | 60th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 32 · Rank 2,345 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 17% | 22% | 21% | 15th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 18% | 17% | 18% | 49th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 21 · Rank 2,527 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 3% | 4% | 4% | 21st | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 46 · Rank 1,725 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 16% | 21% | 18% | 43rd | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 17% | 19% | 16% | 62nd | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 12% | 16% | 14% | 35th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 24% | 30% | 27% | 37th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 8% | 10% | 8% | 54th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Smith County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 141-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
CARTHAGE, Tenn. — Smith County ranks 2,141st among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 40 out of 100 places Smith in the second-least distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,140 counties rank more distressed. Within Tennessee, Smith ranks 88th of 95 counties.
The index, which draws on 16 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Smith sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.
"Smith County ranks in the second-least distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Smith County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Smith County's distress score?
How does Smith County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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