MIDDLETON, Tenn. — A new statewide report puts Hardeman County child well-being near the bottom of Tennessee’s 95 counties. The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth’s 2026 County Profiles & Rankings, released in September, ranks Hardeman County 90th overall, though the county also posted a few standout results.
The rankings are built from 12 indicators grouped into four areas: economic stability and affordability, education, health and development, and child safety and risk behaviors. The report covers Middleton, Bolivar, Whiteville, Grand Junction, and the rest of Hardeman County.
How Hardeman County child well-being scored by area
Economic stability and affordability: 93rd
Education: 86th
Health and development: 76th
Child safety and risk behaviors: 75th
Money and child care weigh heavily
The county’s weakest area was economics. According to the profile, 26.5% of Hardeman County children lived below the federal poverty level in 2024, compared with 18.4% statewide. That is an improvement from the previous report’s 29.5%.
Child care costs were an even bigger problem. The report puts the county’s child care cost burden at 45.8%, the worst in Tennessee and up sharply from 32.7% in the prior profile. The statewide figure is 28.9%. Severe housing cost burden was 13.9%, ranking 91st.
Test scores lag, graduation holds steady
In the 2025-26 school year, 29.6% of Hardeman County students met or exceeded expectations on TCAP English language arts, up from 24.9%, while 24.5% did so in math. Both remain well below the state rates of 40.6% and 43.0%.
The county’s on-time high school graduation rate was 92.3% for 2024-25, matching the state rate and up from 90.3%.
Bright spots in health and safety
Kindergarten immunizations were the county’s best result. Hardeman County’s 98.2% rate ranked second in Tennessee, up from 23rd in the previous report. The county also ranked ninth for its rate of child abuse or neglect victims, at 5.4 per 1,000 children, versus 9.6 statewide.
Other figures were less encouraging. Babies born at a low birth weight made up 12.3% of births, ranking 94th. The share of children without health insurance rose to 6.4%, dropping the county from third to 55th. Youth crime and chronic absenteeism both improved but still ranked in the 80s.
Why the Hardeman County report matters
The commission publishes the profiles to give local leaders, schools, and families a snapshot of how children are doing and where help is most needed. The figures come as the Hardeman County Board of Education works through teacher shortages and rising costs, and as local agencies mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
The full 66-page Hardeman County profile is available from the commission’s website. The figures were first reported locally by Hatchie Press.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
