Benefit checks make up 37 cents of every dollar of income in White County, Tennessee
In White County, 36.9% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives White County's score
In White County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 67.6. Bankruptcy filings ran at 212.6 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 77% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 64.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in White 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.
White County does better than most counties on two measures: people below the poverty line (11.6%, 2024) and people with a car or retail loan behind (5.1%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 67.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.2% · August 202557th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people212.6 · 202577th percentile
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- 64.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202655th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.0% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
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- 64.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.6% · 202436th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.2% · 202456th percentile
- People with a disability18.2% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance12.3% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,340 · 202479th percentile
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- 59.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.8% · second quarter of 202666th percentile
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- 57.0 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 rent18.7% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.8% · fiscal year 202760th 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 White 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 White County, 21.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
White County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in White County had its largest rise, from 25.3% in 2004 to 33.8% in 2009.
In White County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 37% more than benefit checks in 2024
In White County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in White County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.1% in 2010 to 16.5% in 2011.
The share of households in White County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 13.0%
Biggest drop: 2014 to 2015, reaching 19.4%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, White County, Tennessee.
How White County has changed
White County's population nearly doubled to 29,108, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 29,108. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, White County, Tennessee.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in White County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 7,059, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 7,169 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, White County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.8% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.4% | 2024 11.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,646 | 2024 $56,340 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 White County's history
1806
Created September 11, 1806 from Smith and Jackson counties in response to a petition signed by 155 residents. Wikipedia
1861
Saltpeter mining operation during Civil War at Cave Hill. Wikipedia
1973
A tornado in March 1973 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 27,351, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A thunderstorm in March 2020 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered White County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
White County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border White County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, White County ranks 3rd of the six; Van Buren County is highest, at 39.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County, TN | 77 | 13.9% | 28.1% |
| White County, TN | 71 | 11.6% | 36.9% |
| Warren County, TN | 69 | 15.2% | 32.5% |
| Putnam County, TN | 60 | 18.4% | 27.3% |
| Van Buren County, TN | 58 | 14.9% | 39.2% |
| Cumberland County, TN | 54 | 13.2% | 37.5% |
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 White County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, White County's poverty rate was 11.6% in 2024, 78th 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, White County ranks 37th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in White 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.
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 White County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.