About one in 14 people in Wilson County, Tennessee, lives below the poverty line
In Wilson County, 7.3% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wilson County's score
In Wilson County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 62.3. Jobs are the lowest part, at 12.7. Unemployment averaged 2.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wilson 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.
Wilson 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.
- 62.3 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 rent19.6% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.4% · fiscal year 202765th percentile
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- 51.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.0% · August 202530th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people184.5 · 202571st percentile
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- 28.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.5% · second quarter of 202617th percentile
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- 14.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.3% · 20245th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.7% · 20248th percentile
- People with a disability11.1% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance7.1% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$96,530 · 20246th percentile
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- 12.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202610th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.9% · 2020 to 202415th 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 Wilson 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 Wilson County, 15.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wilson County
Tennessee
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Wilson County had its largest rise, from 13.0% in 2004 to 16.5% in 2009.
In Wilson County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 15.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Wilson County, Tennessee, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wilson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.3% in 2009 to 7.9% in 2010.
The share of households in Wilson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 5.3%
Biggest drop: 2015 to 2016, reaching 10.1%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Wilson County, Tennessee.
How Wilson County has changed
Wilson County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 144,971 in 2019 to 169,948 in 2024.
Wilson County's population grew to about five times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 169,948, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 59,330. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wilson County, Tennessee.
The number of jobs located in Wilson County had its largest rise in the last span, from 50,782 in 2020 to 65,458 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Wilson County grew to about four times its 1990 size in 2025, reaching 65,458, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 33,938. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wilson County, Tennessee.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.3% | 2024 7.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $31,805 | 2024 $96,530 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Wilson County's history
2002
A flash flood in January 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flash flood in August 2010 did $22 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flash flood in August 2013 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 147,737, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A tornado in March 2020 did $409 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wilson County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wilson County beside its neighbors
All seven counties that border Wilson County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wilson County ranks 7th of the eight; DeKalb County is highest, at 28.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County, TN | 77 | 13.9% | 28.1% |
| Cannon County, TN | 57 | 14.1% | 27.0% |
| Davidson County, TN | 56 | 12.2% | 10.2% |
| Rutherford County, TN | 43 | 10.0% | 15.9% |
| Trousdale County, TN | 42 | 14.5% | 24.6% |
| Smith County, TN | 38 | 11.6% | 24.1% |
| Sumner County, TN | 32 | 8.3% | 15.7% |
| Wilson County, TN | 22 | 7.3% | 15.2% |
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 Wilson County the poorest county in Tennessee?
No, Wilson County's poverty rate was 7.3% in 2024, 94th 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, Wilson County ranks 94th of 95 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wilson 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 Wilson 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 Wilson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.