Unemployment in Ballard County, Kentucky, is higher than in 75% of U.S. counties
In Ballard County, 4.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 75% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ballard County's score
In Ballard County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 71.8. Bankruptcy filings ran at 237.4 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 83% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 69.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ballard 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.
- 71.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.0% · August 202560th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people237.4 · 202583rd percentile
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- 69.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202675th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.0% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
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- 58.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.9% · 202470th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.0% · 202475th percentile
- People with a disability17.4% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- People without health insurance4.8% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,431 · 202466th percentile
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- 50.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202524th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.0% · second quarter of 202663rd percentile
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- 43.4 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 rent11.0% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.1% · fiscal year 202771st 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 Ballard 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 Ballard County, 21.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Ballard County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Ballard County had its largest rise, from 21.6% in 2004 to 26.5% in 2009.
In Ballard County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 29.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Ballard County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Ballard County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 13.1% in 2018 to 10.4% in 2019.
The share of households in Ballard County getting SNAP food aid fell from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11.9%, with its low point on the chart in 2019
Low on the chart: 10.4% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Ballard County, Kentucky.
How Ballard County has changed
Ballard County's population made its largest gain on the way to its 1979 high, from 8,280 in 1974 to 8,706 in 1979.
Ballard County's population fell 8% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 8,706 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ballard County, Kentucky.
The number of jobs located in Ballard County had its largest rise, from 2,505 in 1995 to 3,194 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Ballard County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 40% since
High on the chart: 3,194 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ballard County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.9% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.6% | 2024 15.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,293 | 2024 $61,431 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Ballard County's history
1780
Fort Jefferson established by General George Rogers Clark in 1780 on the Mississippi River. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 12,690. The 2020 Census counted 7,728, 61% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A flood in May 2011 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flash flood in December 2013 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ballard County, 19 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ballard County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Ballard County, in Kentucky, Missouri and Illinois, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Ballard County ranks 4th of the six; Alexander County is highest, at 53.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi County, MO | 98 | 21.0% | 40.7% |
| Alexander County, IL | 89 | 24.8% | 53.2% |
| Pulaski County, IL | 84 | 21.7% | 45.8% |
| McCracken County, KY | 66 | 13.9% | 23.7% |
| Ballard County, KY | 64 | 15.9% | 29.1% |
| Carlisle County, KY | 54 | 13.9% | 26.1% |
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 Ballard County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Ballard County's poverty rate was 15.9% in 2024, 69th 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, Ballard County ranks 88th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ballard 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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Kentucky Legal Aid
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 Ballard 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 Ballard County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.