Barren County, Kentucky

County Distress Index: Elevated · 61.4 | 45,008 people · 33rd most distressed in Kentucky
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Barren County, KY registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 61.4 — 728th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Kentucky, it ranks 33rd of 120 counties. It scores higher than all 6 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Barren County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 73.2 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 73.2
Poverty Rate 78
Income vs. State Median 70
Child Poverty Rate 72
Debt & Delinquency 69.6
Debt in Collections 72
Medical Debt 71
Student Loan Delinquency 51
Auto Loan Delinquency 73
Credit Card Delinquency 78
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 73
Community Vulnerability 69.0
Uninsured Rate 50
Disability Rate 88
Housing Cost Burden 60.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 67
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 87
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 23
Homeownership Rate 84
Rent-to-Income Ratio 44
Employment & Wages 34.2
Unemployment Rate 45
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 10
Business Formation Rate 48

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Barren County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Barren County
Barren County, KY 61.4 Elevated —
Metcalfe County, KY 59.7 Elevated -1.7
Edmonson County, KY 58.3 Elevated -3.1
Allen County, KY 58.3 Elevated -3.1
Monroe County, KY 57.8 Elevated -3.6
Hart County, KY 56.6 Elevated -4.8
Warren County, KY 48.6 Normal -12.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Barren County
Rolette County, ND 61.4 Elevated +0.0
Jasper County, SC 61.4 Elevated +0.0
Jasper County, MS 61.4 Elevated -0.0
Live Oak County, TX 61.4 Elevated +0.0
Sharp County, AR 61.4 Elevated +0.0

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Barren County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Barren County

Find an Attorney

Kentucky Bar Association Lawyer Referral offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Kentucky Bar Association Lawyer Referral 502-564-3795

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Barren County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid of the Bluegrass 1-800-928-4615
Kentucky Legal Aid 1-866-452-9243
Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky (866) 277-5733
Legal Aid Society (502) 584-1254

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Barren County, Kentucky?

    Barren County has a County Distress Index score of 61.4 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 728th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 33rd in Kentucky out of 120 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Barren County?

    The primary driver of distress in Barren County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 73.2 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Barren County compare to neighboring counties?

    Barren County (61.4) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Metcalfe County, KY (59.7); Edmonson County, KY (58.3); Allen County, KY (58.3).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Barren County?

    Barren County, Kentucky has a population of approximately 45,008 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.