About one in five people in Barren County, Kentucky, has a disability
In Barren County, 21.6% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Barren County's score
In Barren County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 79.7. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 72.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Barren 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.
Barren County does better than most counties on one measure: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.9%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202672nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.7% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
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- 72.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.3% · August 202571st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people193.3 · 202573rd percentile
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- 71.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.7% · 202468th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.1% · 202472nd percentile
- People with a disability21.6% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- People without health insurance8.5% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,256 · 202475th percentile
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- 71.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.4% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.0% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.3% · second quarter of 202664th percentile
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- 52.6 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 rent22.4% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.9% · fiscal year 202730th 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 Barren 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 Barren County, 18.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Barren County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Barren County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 33.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Barren County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Barren County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 17.3% in 2010 to 20.4% in 2011.
The share of households in Barren County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 13.8% 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, Barren County, Kentucky.
How Barren County has changed
Barren County's population rose by more than half to 45,609, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 31,342. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Barren County, Kentucky.
The number of jobs located in Barren County rose most sharply from its first year (13,647 in 1990) to 16,832 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Barren County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 17,824 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Barren County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.6% | 2024 15.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,904 | 2024 $58,256 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Barren County's history
1798
Barren County was established in 1798 from land taken from Green County and Warren County. Wikipedia
1979
A tornado in March 1979 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A tornado in April 1998 did $10 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
Lightning in June 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flash flood in May 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 44,485, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1993
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Barren County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Barren County beside its neighbors
Barren County scores higher than all six counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Barren County ranks 4th of the seven; Metcalfe County is highest, at 45.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barren County, KY | 83 | 15.7% | 33.6% |
| Hart County, KY | 75 | 18.0% | 32.4% |
| Edmonson County, KY | 75 | 14.9% | 33.5% |
| Metcalfe County, KY | 71 | 20.9% | 45.1% |
| Allen County, KY | 67 | 14.3% | 33.8% |
| Warren County, KY | 67 | 15.3% | 23.3% |
| Monroe County, KY | 63 | 20.0% | 39.3% |
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 Barren County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Barren County's poverty rate was 15.7% in 2024, 72nd 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, Barren County ranks 39th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Barren 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 Barren 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 Barren County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.