About one in six people in Anderson County, Kentucky, has a disability
In Anderson County, 17.6% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 63% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Anderson County's score
In Anderson County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 72.6. Bankruptcy filings ran at 280.3 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 88% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 55.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Anderson County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.8% · August 202556th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people280.3 · 202588th percentile
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- 55.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202656th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
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- 52.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.4% · second quarter of 202634th percentile
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- 43.2 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.2% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.6% · fiscal year 202718th percentile
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- 29.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.5% · 202418th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.5% · 202425th percentile
- People with a disability17.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- People without health insurance4.5% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,395 · 202426th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Anderson County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Anderson County, 17.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Anderson County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Anderson County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 23.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Anderson County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Anderson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.7% in 2009 to 11.3% in 2010.
The share of households in Anderson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2011 and has since fallen to 7.5%
Low on the chart: 7.5% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Anderson County, Kentucky.
How Anderson County has changed
Anderson County's population had its largest rise, from 14,221 in 1989 to 16,769 in 1994.
Anderson County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24,883, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1999 to 2004, reaching 19,714. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Anderson County, Kentucky.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Anderson County nearly doubled to 5,155, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 3,920. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Anderson County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.6% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.1% | 2024 9.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,477 | 2024 $76,395 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Anderson County's history
1827
Established February 1, 1827 from Franklin, Washington, and Mercer counties as the 82nd county. Wikipedia
1888
Four Roses distillery founded in 1888 in Lawrenceburg. Wikipedia
1965
A tornado in November 1965 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A tornado in May 1996 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 23,852, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1974
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Anderson County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Anderson County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Anderson County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Anderson County ranks 4th of the eight; Washington County is highest, at 30.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, KY | 61 | 14.1% | 30.8% |
| Franklin County, KY | 59 | 12.3% | 28.9% |
| Mercer County, KY | 55 | 12.2% | 29.2% |
| Anderson County, KY | 50 | 9.5% | 23.7% |
| Nelson County, KY | 44 | 11.7% | 23.7% |
| Shelby County, KY | 22 | 9.9% | 17.6% |
| Spencer County, KY | 18 | 7.5% | 20.3% |
| Woodford County, KY | 15 | 9.7% | 18.6% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Anderson County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Anderson County's poverty rate was 9.5% in 2024, 115th highest of 120 in Kentucky (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is McCreary County, at 36.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Anderson County ranks 106th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Anderson County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Aid of the Bluegrass
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Anderson County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Anderson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.