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 benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
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. Late payments on loans come next, at 89.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bell 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.
Bell County does better than most counties on one measure: people without health insurance (5.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 95.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202691st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working42.3% · 2020 to 202498th percentile
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- 89.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.1% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.4% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score55.6% · second quarter of 202690th 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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- 83.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line31.8% · 202498th percentile
- Children below the poverty line40.6% · 202498th percentile
- People with a disability25.3% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- People without health insurance5.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$39,209 · 202499th percentile
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- 74.0 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 rent19.0% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.8% · fiscal year 202792nd 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 Bell 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 Bell County, 18.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bell County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Bell County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2009
In Bell County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 56.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bell County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 33.6% in 2019 to 26.0% in 2020.
The share of households in Bell County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 21.5% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Bell County, Kentucky.
How Bell County has changed
Bell County's population had its largest drop, from 27,172 in 2014 to 24,593 in 2019.
Bell County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 34,216 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bell County, Kentucky.
The number of jobs located in Bell County had its largest drop, from 10,310 in 2000 to 9,539 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Bell County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 10,310 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bell County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.0% | 2025 6.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 34.8% | 2024 31.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,516 | 2024 $39,209 |
The table uses 6.2% for 2025; the score uses 5.8% 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 Bell County's history
1950
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
A tornado in May 1988 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in June 2011 did $1,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
A flood in February 2020 did $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
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 | 96 | 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 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 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 4th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bell 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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AppalReD 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.
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 Bell County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.