About one in five people in Sullivan County, Tennessee, has a disability
In Sullivan County, 18.7% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 72% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sullivan County's score
In Sullivan County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 76.5. Bankruptcy filings ran at 255.3 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 86% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 65.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sullivan 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.
Sullivan County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.0%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.7% · August 202566th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people255.3 · 202586th percentile
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- 65.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.7% · 202468th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.7% · 202474th percentile
- People with a disability18.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- People without health insurance8.9% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,634 · 202453rd percentile
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- 59.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.6% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.3% · second quarter of 202661st percentile
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- 49.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202628th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.3% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
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- 43.2 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 rent17.2% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.0% · fiscal year 202741st 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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan County, 22.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sullivan County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Sullivan County had its largest rise, from 21.0% in 2004 to 25.8% in 2009.
In Sullivan County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 27.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Sullivan County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 27.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Sullivan County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 16.5% in 2018 to 14.9% in 2019.
The share of households in Sullivan County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 12.9% 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, Sullivan County, Tennessee.
How Sullivan County has changed
Sullivan County's population rose 29% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 134,301. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sullivan County, Tennessee.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Sullivan County rose 7% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 70,470 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sullivan County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.0% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.4% | 2024 15.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,372 | 2024 $65,634 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Sullivan County's history
1977
A tornado in October 1977 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in May 1998 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A thunderstorm in May 2004 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 158,163, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2022
A thunderstorm in September 2022 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sullivan County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sullivan County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Sullivan County, in Tennessee and Virginia, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sullivan County ranks 5th of the six; Scott County is highest, at 40.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol city, VA | 94 | 18.6% | — |
| Carter County, TN | 85 | 16.1% | 34.5% |
| Scott County, VA | 81 | 20.1% | 40.5% |
| Johnson County, TN | 78 | 20.9% | 39.0% |
| Hawkins County, TN | 71 | 13.6% | 34.4% |
| Sullivan County, TN | 64 | 15.7% | 27.8% |
| Washington County, TN | 56 | 13.0% | 25.0% |
| Washington County, VA | 46 | 11.7% | — |
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 Sullivan County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Sullivan County's poverty rate was 15.7% in 2024, 34th 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, Sullivan County ranks 55th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.