Wayne County, Tennessee
Above the national median for uninsured rate.
Main Findings
Wayne County, Tennessee ranks 1,222nd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 13% of residents lack health insurance — above the national median of 8%. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.
- 1,222nd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 56.6 · moderate county distress, 54th in Tennessee.
- 13% of residents lack health insurance (U.S. median 8%). Uninsured rate at the 81st percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Debt in collections at 27% — national median 23%, ranked at the 66th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Credit card delinquency at 8% — national median 5%, ranked at the 79th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Rent-to-income ratio at 21% — national median 21%, ranked at the 53rd percentile. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
Wayne County has a moderate county distress score. The county sits near the middle of the CDI score scale, so the domain mix carries the story.
The CDI gives this county a moderate county distress label. The domain mix matters because the same composite score can come from very different local conditions. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to Urban Institute Debt in America (2025), Wayne County's auto loan delinquency indicator is at the 10th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Delinquency domain at or above the 62nd percentile. The gap stands out against the other credit indicators. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Waynesboro.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Wayne County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Wayne County's value shown alongside TN's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Wayne | TN median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 51 · Rank 1,535 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 6% | 5% | 10th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 6% | 5% | 79th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 26% | 26% | 23% | 62nd | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 64 · Rank 972 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 27% | 28% | 23% | 66th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 156 | 216 | 126 | 62nd | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 49 · Rank 1,592 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 21% | 22% | 21% | 53rd | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 17% | 17% | 18% | 45th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 41 · Rank 1,779 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 3% | 4% | 41st | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 78 · Rank 441 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 24% | 21% | 18% | 75th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 19% | 19% | 16% | 75th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 18% | 16% | 14% | 78th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 13% | 10% | 8% | 81st | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (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), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Wayne County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 128-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
WAYNESBORO, Tenn. — Wayne County ranks 1,222nd 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 56.6 out of 100 gives Wayne a moderate county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,221 counties rank more distressed. Within Tennessee, Wayne ranks 54th of 95 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies safety net & buffer as the primary driver in Wayne. 13% of residents lack health insurance — above the national median of 8%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Wayne County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Wayne County's distress score?
How does Wayne County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Wayne County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →