What is the poverty rate in Tennessee?
Refreshed monthly
The poverty rate was about 12.6% of Tennessee’s population as of 2025. 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 2025, 901,400 people in Tennessee were considered in poverty.
12.6%
of the population (2025)
901K
people living under the poverty line (2025)
The state's poverty rate was 12.6% in 2025, the lowest based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010. It was 0.9 percentage points lower than the previous year. Tennessee's poverty rate hit a peak in 2014 of 18.3%.
In 2025, 12.6% of Tennessee's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2025
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 2025, 901,400 people living in Tennessee were in poverty — down 23% from the 2014 peak of 1.17M.
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In 2025, 901,400 people in Tennessee were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2025
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 2015 to 2025, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Tennessee decreased from 24.2% to 16.5%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 15.7% to 11.6%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 9.8% to 11.5%.
In 2025, 16.5% of children in Tennessee were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2015–2025
How does poverty differ by race in Tennessee?
Among racial or ethnic groups in Tennessee during 2025, four had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: Black or African American; Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race); some other race; and two or more races
Three had a lower than average poverty rate: American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, 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 35.7% in 2015 to 17.2% in 2025.
In Tennessee, the poverty rate for the some other race population decreased from 35.7% in 2015 to 17.2% in 2025.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2015–2025
What counties in Tennessee have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2020–2024, the poverty rate among Tennessee counties ranged from 4.6% in Williamson County to 32.2% in Hancock County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Shelby County — was 17.8%
In 2020-2024, the poverty rate among Tennessee counties ranged from 4.6% to 32.2%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2024)
| 1. | Lake County | 32.2% |
| 2. | Hancock County | 32.2% |
| 3. | Clay County | 24.2% |
| 4. | Pickett County | 23.9% |
| 5. | Scott County | 23.1% |
| 6. | Decatur County | 22.1% |
| 7. | Sequatchie County | 21.9% |
| 8. | Cocke County | 21.9% |
| 9. | Haywood County | 21.5% |
| 10. | Hardin County | 21.5% |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
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.
