Federal transfer payments – Social Security, Medicare, veterans benefits, and SNAP, for example – are big business in Shelby County and a crucial element in our economy.
That’s why changes in the federal budget by the Trump Administration has outsized impact on our community.
In the 1970s, only people in chronic economic distress depended on transfer payments for their incomes. Today, transfer payments are significant parts of incomes for a majority of counties. Low-income transfer payments have gone from being the exception to the rule to the rule today.
According to Economic Innovation Group (EIG), “In 2022, Americans received $3.8 trillion in transfer income from the government. If that were split evenly across the entire US population, it would be about $11,500 per person. Transfers now account for almost 18% of total personal income in the United States, up from 8% in 1970. In 2000, 10% of US counties relied on transfers for a significant portion of their personal income. By 2022, this reached 53% of counties — a four-fold increase.”
In Shelby County, 19% of income per capita comes from government transfers, but that’s just one percent above the national average. Transfers per capita are $10,933 and other income per capita is $47,803. Social Security accounts for $3,288; Medicare and Medicaid account for $4,483; income maintenance accounts for $2,047, and all other sources account for $1,117
Other per capita transfer rates in our region are:
39% – Hardeman County
35% – Benton County
32% – Tunica County
31% – Benton County
31% – Crittenden County
30% – Marshall County
27% – Tate County
22% – Tipton County
16% – Fayette County
15% – DeSoto County
For context:
8% – Fulton County (Atlanta)
14% – DeKalb County (Atlanta)
19% – Hamilton County (Chattanooga)
18% – Knox County (Knoxville)
10% – Davidson County (Nashville)
19% – Jefferson County (Louisville)
8% – Travis County (Austin)
21% – Orlean Parish (New Orleans)
28% – Wayne County (Detroit)
20% – Cuyahoga County (Cleveland)
Source: EIG Report – The Great Transfer-mation
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