About one in 22 people in Williamson County, Tennessee, lives below the poverty line
In Williamson County, 4.5% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Williamson County's score
In Williamson County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 31.7. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 2.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Williamson 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.
Williamson County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 31.7 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.0% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income14.6% · fiscal year 20271st percentile
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- 17.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20268th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.0% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
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- 14.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector9.0% · August 20252nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people83.9 · 202527th percentile
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- 4.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.9% · August 20253rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.5% · August 20258th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score20.1% · second quarter of 20260th percentile
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- 2.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line4.5% · 20240th percentile
- Children below the poverty line3.5% · 20240th percentile
- People with a disability8.2% · 2020 to 20241st percentile
- People without health insurance4.4% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$147,807 · 20240th 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 Williamson 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 Williamson County, 14.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Williamson County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Williamson County moved most in two steps: 5.5% in 2004 to 6.8% in 2009; 6.8% in 2009 to 5.5% in 2014.
In Williamson County, pay from work still brings in more than ten times as much as benefit checks, with little change in benefit checks' share since 1969
In Williamson County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income held level from 1969 to 2024, reaching 6.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Williamson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 3.0% in 2018 to 2.4% in 2019.
The share of households in Williamson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 1.9%
Low on the chart: 1.9% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Williamson County, Tennessee.
How Williamson County has changed
Williamson County's population had its largest rise, from 207,101 in 2014 to 242,269 in 2019.
Williamson County's population grew to about eight times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 269,136, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 43,472. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Williamson County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in Williamson County had its largest rise, from 87,130 in 2010 to 115,195 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Williamson County grew to about six times its 1990 size in 2025, reaching 151,470, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 87,130. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Williamson County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.8% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.9% | 2024 4.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $43,015 | 2024 $147,807 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Williamson County's history
1799
Created October 26, 1799 from a portion of Davidson County. Wikipedia
1988
A tornado in December 1988 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A thunderstorm in June 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flash flood in May 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 247,726, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2022
A thunderstorm in October 2022 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Williamson County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Williamson County beside its neighbors
All seven counties that border Williamson County score higher than it does. Of the group, Williamson County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Hickman County gets the largest, at 27.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Davidson County, TN | 56 | 12.2% | 10.2% |
| Maury County, TN | 52 | 8.7% | 21.4% |
| Marshall County, TN | 47 | 9.0% | 22.3% |
| Rutherford County, TN | 43 | 10.0% | 15.9% |
| Hickman County, TN | 42 | 13.2% | 27.7% |
| Dickson County, TN | 41 | 10.1% | 23.0% |
| Cheatham County, TN | 35 | 8.4% | 19.9% |
| Williamson County, TN | 1 | 4.5% | 6.5% |
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 Williamson County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Williamson County's poverty rate was 4.5% in 2024, the lowest 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, Williamson County ranks 95th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Williamson 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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Good Neighbor Foundation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Williamson 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 Williamson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.