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Cities with the Highest Poverty Rate in Tennessee

The top 25 of 44 Tennessee cities on GIS Map, ranked by the share of residents below the poverty level.

#CityBelow poverty level
1Martin
26.3%
2Paris
26.3%
3Morristown
26%
4Cookeville
23.5%
5Memphis
23.1%
6Crossville
22.9%
7Jackson
22.2%
8Dyersburg
21.6%
9Lawrenceburg
21.5%
10Pigeon Forge
21%
11Kingsport
20.7%
12McMinnville
20.7%
13Shelbyville
20.7%
14Johnson City
20.3%
15Knoxville
20.2%
16Chattanooga
19.1%
17Elizabethton
18.8%
18Greeneville
18.5%
19Tullahoma
18%
20Athens
17%
21Cleveland
16.7%
22Sevierville
15.4%
23La Vergne
15.1%
24Columbia
14.2%
25Nashville
14.1%

Top Tennessee Counties

Counties ranked by the share of residents below the poverty level.

1. Hancock County32.2%2. Lake County32.2%3. Clay County24.2%4. Pickett County23.9%5. Scott County23.1%6. Decatur County22.1%7. Cocke County21.9%8. Sequatchie County21.9%9. Hardin County21.5%10. Haywood County21.5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Only cities covered by GIS Map with at least 1,000 residents are ranked. Estimates carry margins of error.

Citing this page: GIS Map, “Cities with the Highest Poverty Rate in Tennessee”, https://gismap.land/rankings/tennessee/highest-poverty-cities. Figures from U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

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