Kentucky County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 120 counties in Kentucky, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 58.8. 31counties are in Serious or Crisis.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Kentucky Snapshot
120 Counties Scored
58.8 Mean Score
58.9 Median Score
79.9 Bell County Most Distressed
19.7 Oldham County Least Distressed
31 Serious 70 Elevated 17 Normal 2 Healthy
Zone Distribution Kentucky County Map
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Healthy Normal Elevated Serious Crisis
All 120 Kentucky counties colored by distress zone. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How Kentucky's 120 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All Kentucky Counties
120 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Zone | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 61 | Bell County | 79.9 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 2 | 64 | Fulton County | 79.8 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 3 | 103 | Christian County | 78.0 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 4 | 185 | Powell County | 75.0 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 5 | 268 | Clay County | 72.9 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 6 | 274 | Knox County | 72.8 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 7 | 285 | Lee County | 72.6 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 8 | 291 | Johnson County | 72.5 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 9 | 296 | McCreary County | 72.4 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 10 | 342 | Magoffin County | 71.1 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 11 | 354 | Wayne County | 70.8 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 12 | 356 | Harlan County | 70.8 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 13 | 368 | Pike County | 70.5 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 14 | 369 | Wolfe County | 70.5 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 15 | 372 | Floyd County | 70.4 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 16 | 386 | Estill County | 70.1 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 17 | 418 | Casey County | 69.4 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 18 | 476 | Whitley County | 68.2 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 19 | 478 | Simpson County | 68.2 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 20 | 486 | Martin County | 68.0 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 21 | 496 | Jackson County | 67.9 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 22 | 510 | Clinton County | 67.7 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 23 | 526 | Laurel County | 67.3 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 24 | 530 | Barren County | 67.3 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 25 | 549 | Rowan County | 67.0 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 26 | 599 | Boyd County | 65.9 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 27 | 609 | Lawrence County | 65.8 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 28 | 618 | Carter County | 65.5 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 29 | 629 | Rockcastle County | 65.2 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 30 | 639 | Owsley County | 65.1 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 31 | 641 | Pulaski County | 65.0 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 32 | 644 | Morgan County | 64.9 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 33 | 647 | Bourbon County | 64.9 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 34 | 663 | Adair County | 64.6 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 35 | 678 | Perry County | 64.4 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 36 | 680 | Nicholas County | 64.4 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 37 | 696 | Henry County | 64.2 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 38 | 716 | Warren County | 63.8 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 39 | 730 | Gallatin County | 63.6 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 40 | 736 | Allen County | 63.6 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 41 | 755 | Knott County | 63.3 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 42 | 776 | Breathitt County | 62.9 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 43 | 777 | Boyle County | 62.9 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 44 | 827 | Jefferson County | 62.0 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 45 | 859 | Elliott County | 61.3 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 46 | 886 | Carroll County | 60.9 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 47 | 889 | Butler County | 60.9 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 48 | 890 | Russell County | 60.9 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 49 | 918 | Harrison County | 60.5 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 50 | 930 | Robertson County | 60.3 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 51 | 945 | Leslie County | 60.0 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 52 | 948 | Mason County | 60.0 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 53 | 963 | Menifee County | 59.8 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 54 | 973 | Caldwell County | 59.7 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 55 | 981 | Taylor County | 59.6 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 56 | 993 | Grant County | 59.4 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 57 | 994 | Henderson County | 59.4 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 58 | 996 | Fleming County | 59.3 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 59 | 1,007 | Hopkins County | 59.2 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 60 | 1,024 | Bracken County | 59.0 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 61 | 1,028 | Hart County | 58.9 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 62 | 1,046 | Trigg County | 58.5 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 63 | 1,061 | Graves County | 58.2 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 64 | 1,077 | Hardin County | 57.9 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 65 | 1,089 | Lincoln County | 57.8 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 66 | 1,091 | Greenup County | 57.8 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 67 | 1,108 | McCracken County | 57.6 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 68 | 1,117 | Franklin County | 57.6 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 69 | 1,123 | Muhlenberg County | 57.5 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 70 | 1,126 | Clark County | 57.5 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 71 | 1,133 | Letcher County | 57.4 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 72 | 1,142 | Garrard County | 57.1 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 73 | 1,144 | Owen County | 57.1 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 74 | 1,151 | Cumberland County | 56.9 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 75 | 1,158 | Metcalfe County | 56.8 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 76 | 1,162 | Madison County | 56.7 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 77 | 1,163 | Washington County | 56.7 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 78 | 1,165 | Grayson County | 56.7 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 79 | 1,167 | Anderson County | 56.6 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 80 | 1,171 | Calloway County | 56.6 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 81 | 1,196 | Mercer County | 56.1 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 82 | 1,204 | Livingston County | 56.0 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 83 | 1,210 | Montgomery County | 55.9 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 84 | 1,214 | Fayette County | 55.9 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 85 | 1,225 | Lewis County | 55.7 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 86 | 1,237 | Logan County | 55.5 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 87 | 1,279 | Larue County | 54.9 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 88 | 1,290 | Ohio County | 54.8 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 89 | 1,298 | Monroe County | 54.5 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 90 | 1,319 | Bath County | 54.4 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 91 | 1,324 | Crittenden County | 54.3 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 92 | 1,334 | Edmonson County | 54.1 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 93 | 1,353 | Pendleton County | 53.8 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 94 | 1,359 | Union County | 53.8 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 95 | 1,401 | Marion County | 53.0 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 96 | 1,444 | Todd County | 52.1 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 97 | 1,445 | Carlisle County | 52.1 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 98 | 1,446 | Breckinridge County | 52.1 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 99 | 1,485 | Green County | 51.5 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 100 | 1,554 | Daviess County | 50.3 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 101 | 1,565 | Meade County | 50.2 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 102 | 1,639 | Marshall County | 49.1 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 103 | 1,645 | Lyon County | 49.0 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 104 | 1,698 | McLean County | 48.2 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 105 | 1,719 | Kenton County | 48.0 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 106 | 1,745 | Nelson County | 47.6 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 107 | 1,777 | Jessamine County | 47.0 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 108 | 1,782 | Hickman County | 46.9 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 109 | 1,791 | Bullitt County | 46.8 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 110 | 1,843 | Trimble County | 46.0 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 111 | 1,869 | Campbell County | 45.6 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 112 | 1,935 | Webster County | 44.3 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 113 | 2,037 | Boone County | 42.6 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 114 | 2,065 | Scott County | 42.1 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 115 | 2,192 | Ballard County | 40.0 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 116 | 2,206 | Shelby County | 39.8 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 117 | 2,265 | Spencer County | 38.9 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 118 | 2,295 | Hancock County | 38.3 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 119 | 2,498 | Woodford County | 34.6 | Healthy | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 120 | 3,078 | Oldham County | 19.7 | Healthy | Consumer Credit Distress |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using PCA-weighted percentile-rank scoring across five statistically derived dimensions: Consumer Credit Distress, Housing Cost Burden, Structural Poverty, Economic Vitality, and Legal Distress. A score of 50 means the county falls at the national median. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.
Crisis (≥80) — Among the most distressed counties in the country
Serious (65–80) — More distressed than roughly 80% of counties
Elevated (50–65) — More distressed than roughly half of counties
Normal (35–50) — Near the national median
Healthy (<35) — Less distressed than most counties