Bourbon County, Kentucky
More than double the national median for bankruptcy filing rate — and 43.5× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Glacier County, MT — 7).
Main Findings
Bourbon County, Kentucky ranks 380th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: a bankruptcy filing rate of 318 — more than double the national median of 126. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
- 380th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 73.1 · high county distress, 35th in Kentucky.
- A bankruptcy filing rate of 318 (U.S. median 126). Bankruptcy filing rate at the 93rd percentile nationally. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Severe rent burden (50%+) at 24% — national median 18%, ranked at the 85th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Unemployment at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 77th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Auto loan delinquency at 10% — national median 5%, ranked at the 91st percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Unemployment is 5%, near the national median of 4%, while auto loan delinquency runs at the 91st percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 27-point drop to Scott County marks where the Kentucky distress corridor ends.
Bourbon County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position.
The CDI gives this county a high county distress label. The rank belongs beside the score because the two answer different questions: score intensity and national position. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023), Bourbon County's uninsured rate indicator is at the 2nd percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 53rd percentile. The gap stands out against the other credit indicators. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Paris.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Bourbon County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Bourbon County's value shown alongside KY's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Bourbon | KY median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 73 · Rank 753 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 10% | 6% | 5% | 91st | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 6% | 5% | 55th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 29% | 28% | 23% | 72nd | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 85 · Rank 272 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 31% | 29% | 23% | 77th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 318 | 243 | 126 | 93rd | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 82 · Rank 337 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 25% | 20% | 21% | 79th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 24% | 18% | 18% | 85th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 77 · Rank 673 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 5% | 5% | 4% | 77th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 48 · Rank 1,630 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 18% | 22% | 18% | 53rd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 20% | 21% | 16% | 79th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 14% | 17% | 14% | 56th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 3% | 6% | 8% | 2nd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Bourbon County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 129-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
PARIS, Ky. — Bourbon County ranks 380th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 73.1 out of 100 gives Bourbon a high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 379 counties rank more distressed. Within Kentucky, Bourbon ranks 35th of 120 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies default & legal as the primary driver in Bourbon. A bankruptcy filing rate of 318 — more than double the national median of 126.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bourbon County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Bourbon County's distress score?
How does Bourbon County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Bourbon County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →