What is the poverty rate in Tennessee?
Refreshed monthly
The poverty rate was about 13.5% of Tennessee’s population as of 2024. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2024, 951,389 people in Tennessee were considered in poverty.
13.5%
of the population (2024)
951K
people living under the poverty line (2024)
Based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010, Tennessee's poverty rate hit a peak in 2014 of 18.3%. Its lowest point was in 2022 at 13.3%. The state's poverty rate was 13.5% in 2024, 0.6 percentage point higher than the previous year.
In 2024, 13.5% of Tennessee's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2024
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2024, 951,389 people living in Tennessee were in poverty — down 18.8% from the 2014 peak of 1,171,307.
In 2024, 951,400 people in Tennessee were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2024
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
What is the child poverty rate in Tennessee?
From 2014 to 2024, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Tennessee decreased from 26.2% to 19.1%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 17.4% to 12.2%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 10.1% to 10.7%.
In 2024, 19.1% of children in Tennessee were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2014–2024
How does poverty differ by race in Tennessee?
Among racial or ethnic groups in Tennessee during 2024, five had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: American Indian and Alaska Native, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race), some other race, two or more races.
Three had a lower than average poverty rate: Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the some other race population shifted the most, decreasing from 42.4% in 2014 to 26.2% in 2024.
In Tennessee, the poverty rate for the some other race population decreased from 42.4% in 2014 to 26.2% in 2024.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2014–2024
What counties in Tennessee have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Tennessee counties ranged from 4.5% in Williamson County to 32.3% in Lake County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Shelby County — was 17.5%.
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Tennessee counties ranged from 4.5% to 32.3%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2023)
| 1. | Lake County | 32.3% |
| 2. | Hancock County | 31.5% |
| 3. | Pickett County | 25.8% |
| 4. | Bledsoe County | 25.0% |
| 5. | Scott County | 24.9% |
| 6. | Sequatchie County | 23.6% |
| 7. | Haywood County | 22.8% |
| 8. | Johnson County | 22.1% |
| 9. | Clay County | 21.7% |
| 10. | Decatur County | 21.6% |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
