Bracken County, Kentucky

County Distress Index: Elevated · 53.5 | 8,426 people · 69th most distressed in Kentucky
American Default Research

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Bracken County, KY registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 53.5 — 1334th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where unemployment is elevated, wages are low relative to housing costs, and business formation lags. Within Kentucky, it ranks 69th of 120 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 6 neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Bracken County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 75.4 — worse than roughly 75% of U.S. counties.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 75.4
Unemployment Rate 69
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 91
Business Formation Rate 66
Debt & Delinquency 56.5
Debt in Collections 54
Medical Debt 59
Student Loan Delinquency 7
Auto Loan Delinquency 73
Credit Card Delinquency 53
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 93
Housing Cost Burden 49.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 26
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 56
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 52
Homeownership Rate 32
Rent-to-Income Ratio 81
Income & Poverty 45.4
Poverty Rate 56
Income vs. State Median 21
Child Poverty Rate 59
Community Vulnerability 40.8
Uninsured Rate 18
Disability Rate 64

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Bracken County
Bracken County, KY 53.5 Elevated —
Mason County, KY 58.2 Elevated +4.7
Brown County, OH 57.9 Elevated +4.4
Robertson County, KY 54.6 Elevated +1.1
Pendleton County, KY 49.3 Normal -4.1
Harrison County, KY 45.7 Normal -7.8
Clermont County, OH 41.9 Normal -11.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Bracken County
Jack County, TX 53.5 Elevated +0.0
Grundy County, MO 53.6 Elevated +0.1
Woods County, OK 53.6 Elevated +0.1
Kimball County, NE 53.6 Elevated +0.1
Prairie County, AR 53.4 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Bracken 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 Bracken 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 Bracken County, Kentucky?

    Bracken County has a County Distress Index score of 53.5 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,334th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 69th in Kentucky out of 120 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Bracken County?

    The primary driver of distress in Bracken County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 75.4 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Bracken County compare to neighboring counties?

    Bracken County (53.5) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Mason County, KY (58.2); Brown County, OH (57.9); Robertson County, KY (54.6).

  • 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 Bracken County?

    Bracken County, Kentucky has a population of approximately 8,426 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.