Key Terms

Household Survival Budget: The bare-minimum costs of basic necessities (housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and a smartphone plan).

ALICE Threshold: The average income needed to afford the Household Survival Budget. Households below the ALICE Threshold include both ALICE and poverty-level households.

ALICE: Households with income above the Federal Poverty Level but below the basic cost of living.

Poverty: Households earning below the Federal Poverty Level

Total Households: The number of households as reported by the American Community Survey.

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Research Center

Tennessee

We all know people who are ALICE: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — earning more than the Federal Poverty Level, but not enough to afford the basics where they live. ALICE workers were celebrated as essential heroes during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet they do not earn enough to support their own families.

ALICE households and households in poverty are forced to make tough choices, such as deciding between quality child care or paying the rent — choices that have long-term consequences not only for their families, but for all.

Learn more about how you can get involved in advocating and creating change for ALICE in Tennessee.

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LATEST REPORT

Tennessee

County Reports 2021

Counties are the core geography for ALICE data: They reveal variations often masked by statewide averages, and the data is reported regularly and reliably. 

Use the tool below to see an overview of financial hardship, county by county. The County Profile highlights key aspects of county economies across the state, including details related to county demographics, the cost of living, and the labor landscape.

Learn More

To see combined data for two or more counties, use the ALICE Budgets, Demographics, and Labor Force pages

SELECT COUNTY:

ALICE IN COUNTY

ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — households that earn more than the Federal Poverty Level, but less than the basic cost of living for the county. While conditions have improved for some households, many continue to struggle, especially as wages fail to keep pace with the rising cost of household essentials (housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and a basic smartphone plan). Households below the ALICE Threshold — ALICE households plus those in poverty — can’t afford the essentials.

2021 Point-in-Time-Data
Population:
Number of Households:
Median Household Income:
Labor Force Participation Rate:
ALICE Households:
Households in Poverty:

Financial Hardship Has Changed Over Time in Tennessee

As circumstances change, households may find themselves below or above the ALICE Threshold at different times. While the COVID-19 pandemic brought employment shifts, health struggles, and school/business closures in 2021, it also spurred unprecedented public assistance through pandemic relief measures. In 2019, 1,211,160 households in Tennessee were below the ALICE Threshold; by 2021 that number had changed to 1,196,900. Use the buttons below to switch between ALICE data over time by number and percentage.

  • NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS
  • PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLDS
Total Households
Total Households
Total Households
Total Households
Total Households
Total Households
Total Households
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Sources: ALICE Threshold, 2010-2021; American Community Survey, 2010-2021
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ALICE Threshold, 2010-2021; American Community Survey, 2010-2021

Financial Hardship is Not Equally Distributed

By total number, groups with the largest population of households below the ALICE Threshold tend to also be in the largest demographic groups. However, when looking at the proportion of each group that is below the ALICE Threshold, it is clear that some groups are more likely to be ALICE than others.

Households by Race/Ethnicity, Tennessee, 2021

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All racial categories except Two or More Races are for one race alone. Race and ethnicity are overlapping categories; the AI/AN (American Indian/Alaska Native), Asian, Black, Hawaiian (includes other Pacific Islanders), and Two or More Races groups may include Hispanic households. The White group includes only White, non-Hispanic households. The Hispanic group may include households of any race. Because household poverty data is not available for the American Community Survey's race/ethnicity categories, annual income below $15,000 is used as a proxy. In 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau changed how it asked about race/ethnicity and how responses are coded. Due to this change, the Census Bureau recommends caution in comparing racial/ethnic data from before and after 2020.
Sources: ALICE Threshold, 2021; American Community Survey, 2021

There were also differences in financial hardship by household type and age of householder.

  • HOUSEHOLD TYPE
  • AGE OF HOUSEHOLDER
Group% Below ALICE
Threshold
Group% Below ALICE
Threshold
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Sources: American Community Survey, 2021; ALICE Threshold, 2021

The Cost of Basics Outpaces Wages

The Household Survival Budget reflects the minimum cost to live and work in the modern economy and includes housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, a smartphone plan, and taxes. It does not include savings for emergencies or future goals like college or retirement. In 2021, household costs in every county in Tennessee were well above the Federal Poverty Level of $12,880 for a single adult and $26,500 for a family of four.

Monthly Costs
and Credits
Single
Adult
One Adult,
One Child
One Adult,
One In
Child Care
Two
Adults
Two Adults
Two Children
Two Adults,
Two In
Child Care
Single
Senior
Two
Seniors
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View Notes
View Source
The budget for One Adult, One Child includes costs for one adult and a school-age child. The budget for One Adult, One in Child Care includes costs for an adult and an infant. The budget for Two Adults, Two in Child Care includes costs for two adults, one infant, and one preschooler. "Hourly Wage" shows the full-time wage needed to support each budget.
Sources: For ALICE Survival Budget sources, see the Methodology Overview on the Methodology page.

The Labor Landscape is Challenging for ALICE Workers

A small portion of adults (16 years and older) in Tennessee were unemployed and a large number were working in 2021. However, a significant portion of both full and part-time workers are paid by the hour; these workers are more likely to have fluctuations in income and less likely to receive benefits.

Labor Status, Population 16 and Over, Tennessee, 2021

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Data for hourly full- and part-time jobs is only available at the national level; these national rates have been applied to the workforce at the county-level to calculate the breakdown shown in this figure. Because the labor status figure sums county-level data (some using 1-year estimates and some using 5-year estimates), the state percentages may differ slightly from those shown at the state level. Full-time represents 35 hours per week or more at one or more jobs for 48 weeks per year.
Sources: American Community Survey, 2021; Federal Reserve Bank of St. Lewis, 2021

Financial Hardship Varies by Location in Tennessee

There is significant variation in the number of households who live below the ALICE Threshold within the county. Explore the map and table below to learn more. The map is shaded to show the percentage of households that are below the ALICE Threshold (poverty-level and ALICE households combined). The darker the blue, the higher the percentage.

ADDITIONAL GEOGRAPHIES:
 
County SubdivisionTotal Households% Below ALICE Threshold
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Sources: American Community Survey, 2021; ALICE Threshold, 2021

Learn More

See what partners across the country are doing to improve life for ALICE households on our ALICE in Action page.