In Bell County, Kentucky, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2009
In 2024, 56 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (56.0%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bell County's score
In Bell County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 95.3. About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 (42.3%, 2020 to 2024) aren't working, a higher share than in 98% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 88.7.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Bell County does better than most counties on one measure: people without health insurance (5.3%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Bell County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 95.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working42.3% · 2020 to 202498th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.9% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202691st percentile
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- 88.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector37.3% · August 202590th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people265.9 · 202587th percentile
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- 87.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.4% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a credit card behind9.1% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.2% · Q4 202585th percentile
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- 83.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line40.6% · 202498th percentile
- People with a disability25.3% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$39,209 · 202499th percentile
- People below the poverty line31.8% · 202498th percentile
- People without health insurance5.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
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- 74.0 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.8% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.0% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Bell County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bell County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Bell County in 2024, pay from work was 35 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 9 cents. Benefit checks were 56 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 70 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 21 cents.
In Bell County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2009
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Bell County, Kentucky: 56.0% and 34.7% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 56.0% of all personal income in Bell County, Kentucky (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Bell County, 18.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Bell County has changed
The number of people living in Bell County fell by about three in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 31,460 to 23,051. The number of jobs located there fell by about one in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 10.0% in 1990 to 6.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 31,460 | 2024 23,051 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 9,446 | 2024 8,335 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.0% | 2025 6.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 34.8% | 2024 31.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $15,516 | 2024 $39,209 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 21.0% | 2024 56.0% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Bell County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 47,602. The 2020 Census counted 24,097, 51% of the peak. Census Bureau
1977
Major flood in Pineville April 4, 1977 destroyed or damaged 200 houses. Wikipedia
1988
Tornado: $25 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Flood: $1,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
Flood: $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bell County, 19 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Bell County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Bell County, in Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bell County ranks 4th of the eight; Harlan County is highest, at 59.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County, KY | 99 | 30.7% | 49.2% |
| Bell County, KY | 98 | 31.8% | 56.0% |
| Clay County, KY | 98 | 33.6% | 56.5% |
| Harlan County, KY | 97 | 29.4% | 59.0% |
| Lee County, VA | 95 | 26.0% | 45.8% |
| Whitley County, KY | 92 | 25.5% | 47.6% |
| Leslie County, KY | 91 | 31.2% | 58.6% |
| Claiborne County, TN | 78 | 16.4% | 36.9% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Bell County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Bell County's poverty rate was 31.8% in 2024, 6th 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, Bell County ranks 5th of 120 in the state.
Bell County in photographs
Places in Bell County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Bell County, Kentucky Courthouse.
The city of Pineville, Kentucky as seen from atop Pine Mountain.
Bell County, Kentucky: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Bell County, Kentucky?
31.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in three people. Among children it was 40.6%.
Is Bell County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Bell County's poverty rate was 31.8% in 2024, 6th 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, Bell County ranks 5th of 120 in the state.
What is the population of Bell County, Kentucky?
About 23,051 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 24,097, half the county's peak of 47,602 in 1950.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bell County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Legal Aid of the Bluegrass
Legal aid
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Kentucky Legal Aid
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,311 approved agencies by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Bell County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.