In Stewart County, Tennessee, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in five dollars of the typical household's income
In Stewart County, 18.6% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 72% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Stewart County's score
In Stewart County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 74.8. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 16.3. About one in 16 renters (6.1%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Stewart 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.
Even so, Stewart County is worse off than most counties on adults 25 to 54 not working (27.7%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a disability (20.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 74.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.1% · 202476th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.1% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability20.7% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- People without health insurance11.8% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,200 · 202457th percentile
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- 66.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202649th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.7% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
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- 45.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.6% · August 202536th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people133.6 · 202553rd percentile
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- 21.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.6% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.7% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.4% · second quarter of 202650th percentile
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- 16.3 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 rent6.1% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.6% · fiscal year 202727th 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 Stewart 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 Stewart County, 20.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Stewart County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Stewart County had its largest rise, from 11.4% in 1969 to 15.8% in 1974.
In Stewart County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 33.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Stewart County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Stewart County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.7% in 2011 to 17.4% in 2012.
The share of households in Stewart County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 11.1%
Low on the chart: 11.0% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Stewart County, Tennessee.
How Stewart County has changed
Stewart County's population doubled to 14,365, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 12,092. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Stewart County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in Stewart County had its largest rise, from 2,264 in 2000 to 2,485 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Stewart County rose by about a quarter to 2,828, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 2,828 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Stewart County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.9% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.5% | 2024 17.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,326 | 2024 $64,200 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Stewart County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 15,224. The 2020 Census counted 13,657, 90% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A flood in May 2010 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flash flood in April 2013 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in July 2016 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Lightning in July 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Stewart County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Stewart County beside its neighbors
All seven counties that border Stewart County, in Tennessee and Kentucky, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Stewart County ranks 4th of the eight; Benton County is highest, at 39.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christian County, KY | 95 | 17.3% | 28.7% |
| Henry County, TN | 79 | 17.1% | 29.9% |
| Trigg County, KY | 78 | 13.9% | 34.0% |
| Benton County, TN | 77 | 17.0% | 39.7% |
| Calloway County, KY | 68 | 15.9% | 29.3% |
| Montgomery County, TN | 62 | 10.2% | 22.4% |
| Houston County, TN | 54 | 15.6% | 39.0% |
| Stewart County, TN | 41 | 17.1% | 33.5% |
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 Stewart County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Stewart County's poverty rate was 17.1% in 2024, 21st 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, Stewart County ranks 86th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Stewart 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.
Download the CSV for Stewart 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 Stewart County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.