Counties in Tennessee by poverty rate
Lake County had the highest poverty rate of 95 counties in 2018, at 36.5%. Williamson County had the lowest, at 3.8%. The median was 16.5% and the figure for Tennessee was 15.2%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.
Top 40 counties, 2018
Full ranking
| Rank | Counties | 2018 (%) | Change on 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake County | 36.5 | -3.4 pts |
| 2 | Hancock County | 29.9 | +1.5 pts |
| 3 | Bledsoe County | 26.7 | +3.6 pts |
| 4 | Lauderdale County | 24.9 | +4.1 pts |
| 5 | Hardeman County | 23.5 | +0.5 pts |
| 6 | Claiborne County | 23.4 | +0.9 pts |
| 7 | Cocke County | 22.5 | -0.5 pts |
| 7 | Warren County | 22.5 | +0.9 pts |
| 9 | Shelby County | 21.7 | +2.8 pts |
| 10 | Campbell County | 21.6 | +2.4 pts |
| 11 | Wayne County | 21.3 | +0.1 pts |
| 12 | Grundy County | 21.2 | -1.8 pts |
| 12 | Scott County | 21.2 | -1.6 pts |
| 14 | Clay County | 21 | -3.8 pts |
| 15 | Johnson County | 20.7 | -3.6 pts |
| 16 | Fentress County | 20.6 | -2.8 pts |
| 17 | Haywood County | 20.5 | -0.1 pts |
| 18 | Morgan County | 20.4 | +0.1 pts |
| 19 | Hardin County | 20.3 | +1.6 pts |
| 20 | Jackson County | 19.8 | +1.8 pts |
| 20 | Union County | 19.8 | +0.8 pts |
| 22 | Weakley County | 19.7 | -2.4 pts |
| 23 | Crockett County | 19.4 | +1.7 pts |
| 24 | Benton County | 19.2 | +0.4 pts |
| 25 | Carter County | 19.1 | -1.6 pts |
| 26 | Henry County | 18.8 | +0.5 pts |
| 27 | Carroll County | 18.6 | -0.9 pts |
| 27 | Trousdale County | 18.6 | +1.1 pts |
| 29 | Dyer County | 18.4 | +1.1 pts |
| 29 | Grainger County | 18.4 | +0.1 pts |
| 29 | Hawkins County | 18.4 | +1.7 pts |
| 29 | Rhea County | 18.4 | +2.4 pts |
| 33 | Decatur County | 18.2 | -1.2 pts |
| 34 | Macon County | 18.1 | +0.9 pts |
| 35 | Henderson County | 18 | +2.8 pts |
| 36 | Madison County | 17.8 | +0.3 pts |
| 36 | Meigs County | 17.8 | +0.4 pts |
| 38 | Lawrence County | 17.7 | +2.1 pts |
| 38 | Obion County | 17.7 | -3 pts |
| 40 | Perry County | 17.6 | -3.5 pts |
| 41 | Lewis County | 17.5 | 0 pts |
| 42 | DeKalb County | 17.4 | +0.3 pts |
| 42 | McNairy County | 17.4 | +0.3 pts |
| 44 | White County | 17.3 | +1.3 pts |
| 45 | Hamblen County | 17.1 | +0.4 pts |
| 46 | Houston County | 16.7 | +1 pts |
| 47 | Anderson County | 16.5 | +1.2 pts |
| 47 | Gibson County | 16.5 | +0.1 pts |
| 47 | Sullivan County | 16.5 | +0.8 pts |
| 50 | Hickman County | 16.3 | -0.7 pts |
| 50 | Van Buren County | 16.3 | -1.2 pts |
| 52 | Unicoi County | 16.1 | -0.3 pts |
| 53 | Franklin County | 16 | +1.1 pts |
| 53 | Pickett County | 16 | -0.9 pts |
| 53 | Sequatchie County | 16 | -0.7 pts |
| 56 | Chester County | 15.9 | -1 pts |
| 56 | Coffee County | 15.9 | +1 pts |
| 56 | McMinn County | 15.9 | -6.5 pts |
| 59 | Polk County | 15.8 | +0.1 pts |
| 60 | Monroe County | 15.7 | -1.9 pts |
| 61 | Davidson County | 15.4 | +0.8 pts |
| 62 | Marion County | 15.3 | -0.4 pts |
| 63 | Greene County | 15.1 | -2.6 pts |
| 64 | Overton County | 15 | -2.8 pts |
| 65 | Washington County | 14.9 | 0 pts |
| 66 | Roane County | 14.8 | -0.4 pts |
| 67 | Bradley County | 14.7 | -2.2 pts |
| 68 | Giles County | 14.5 | -0.7 pts |
| 68 | Putnam County | 14.5 | -4.5 pts |
| 70 | Bedford County | 14.4 | -2.4 pts |
| 70 | Cumberland County | 14.4 | +0.3 pts |
| 70 | Lincoln County | 14.4 | +1.4 pts |
| 73 | Cannon County | 14.2 | -0.8 pts |
| 74 | Marshall County | 14.1 | +2.4 pts |
| 75 | Sevier County | 13.9 | +1.3 pts |
| 75 | Smith County | 13.9 | +0.9 pts |
| 75 | Stewart County | 13.9 | -2.2 pts |
| 78 | Dickson County | 13.8 | +2.5 pts |
| 78 | Jefferson County | 13.8 | -0.3 pts |
| 80 | Humphreys County | 13.6 | 0 pts |
| 81 | Knox County | 13.2 | -0.7 pts |
| 82 | Fayette County | 13.1 | -0.8 pts |
| 83 | Hamilton County | 13 | +0.5 pts |
| 84 | Montgomery County | 12 | -0.8 pts |
| 84 | Tipton County | 12 | -2 pts |
| 86 | Maury County | 10.8 | +0.4 pts |
| 87 | Robertson County | 10.6 | -1 pts |
| 88 | Rutherford County | 10.4 | +0.3 pts |
| 89 | Cheatham County | 10.3 | -0.7 pts |
| 90 | Blount County | 9.9 | -2.2 pts |
| 91 | Loudon County | 9.1 | -3.5 pts |
| 91 | Moore County | 9.1 | -0.8 pts |
| 93 | Sumner County | 8.9 | +0.1 pts |
| 94 | Wilson County | 7.8 | -0.6 pts |
| 95 | Williamson County | 3.8 | -0.1 pts |
Other periods
About this ranking
People living in families or alone with income below the official US poverty thresholds, as a percentage of people whose poverty status can be determined. United States: Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), all ages.
Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_poverty_rate.
Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.
How to cite
U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people of all ages in poverty, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
Use this data in your AI agent
Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:
Rank Counties in Tennessee by poverty rate using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"poverty_rate","level":"province","within":"Tennessee","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=poverty_rate&level=province&within=Tennessee&limit=10
Questions
Which county has the highest poverty rate?
Lake County, with 36.5% in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Which county has the lowest poverty rate?
Williamson County, with 3.8% in 2018.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people of all ages in poverty, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
Poverty rate (US official measure): other rankings
- US states
- US counties
- Counties in Texas
- Counties in Georgia
- Counties in Virginia
- Counties in Kentucky
- Counties in Missouri
- Counties in Kansas
- Counties in Illinois
- Counties in North Carolina
- Counties in Iowa
- Counties in Nebraska
Counties in Tennessee: more rankings
- Asian population share
- Bachelor's degree or higher, population 25 and over
- Live births, July to June
- Black or African American population share
- Crude birth rate, July to June
- Crude death rate, July to June
- Deaths, July to June
- Foreign-born population share
- Real GDP growth
- GDP per capita, US dollars
- Gross domestic product (GDP), US dollars
- Hispanic or Latino population share
- Homeownership rate (US, housing units)
- Median age
- Median gross rent (monthly)
- Median home value