About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Warren County, Tennessee, is not working
In Warren County, 26.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 80% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Warren County's score
In Warren County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 70.0. About one in eight people (12.0%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 78% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 68.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Warren 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.
Warren County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (14.4%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.7%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.2% · 202466th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.4% · 202466th percentile
- People with a disability18.0% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance12.0% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,779 · 202471st percentile
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- 68.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.9% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.7% · second quarter of 202676th percentile
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- 65.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.0% · August 202560th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people180.6 · 202570th percentile
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- 61.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202641st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.8% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
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- 41.5 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 rent14.4% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.1% · fiscal year 202754th 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 Warren 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 Warren County, 17.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Warren County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Warren County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 24.3% in 2004 to 32.5% in 2009.
In Warren County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 32.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Warren County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Warren County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 18.1% in 2019 to 14.8% in 2020.
The share of households in Warren County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 14.8% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Warren County, Tennessee.
How Warren County has changed
Warren County's population had its largest rise, from 26,657 in 1969 to 29,881 in 1974.
Warren County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 43,619, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 39,757. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Warren County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in Warren County fell most sharply on the way to its 2010 low, from 14,671 in 2005 to 11,449 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Warren County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 15,163 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Warren County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.4% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.6% | 2024 15.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,018 | 2024 $59,779 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Warren County's history
1807
Created 1807 from a portion of White County. Wikipedia
1812
Saltpeter mines operated during War of 1812 and Civil War. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A tornado in April 2006 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A tornado in April 2006 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in April 2008 did $1.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 40,953, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Warren County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Warren County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Warren County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Warren County ranks 4th of the eight; Grundy County is highest, at 39.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sequatchie County, TN | 92 | 15.4% | 31.2% |
| Grundy County, TN | 84 | 20.2% | 39.6% |
| DeKalb County, TN | 77 | 13.9% | 28.1% |
| White County, TN | 71 | 11.6% | 36.9% |
| Warren County, TN | 69 | 15.2% | 32.5% |
| Coffee County, TN | 65 | 15.5% | 28.5% |
| Van Buren County, TN | 58 | 14.9% | 39.2% |
| Cannon County, TN | 57 | 14.1% | 27.0% |
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 Warren County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Warren County's poverty rate was 15.2% in 2024, 39th 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, Warren County ranks 42nd of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Warren 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 Warren 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 Warren County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.