Breathitt County, Kentucky

County Distress Index: Elevated · 62.1 | 12,953 people · 30th most distressed in Kentucky
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Breathitt County, KY registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 62.1 — 680th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Kentucky, it ranks 30th of 120 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Breathitt County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 95.0 — worse than roughly 95% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 95.0
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 95
Employment & Wages 66.6
Unemployment Rate 78
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 27
Business Formation Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 63.2
Debt in Collections 74
Medical Debt 61
Student Loan Delinquency 7
Auto Loan Delinquency 90
Credit Card Delinquency 62
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 85
Community Vulnerability 50.0
Uninsured Rate 5
Disability Rate 95
Housing Cost Burden 35.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 15
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 24
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 51
Rent-to-Income Ratio 84

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Breathitt County
Breathitt County, KY 62.1 Elevated —
Lee County, KY 70.7 Serious +8.6
Wolfe County, KY 69.1 Serious +7.0
Magoffin County, KY 67.4 Serious +5.2
Owsley County, KY 67.2 Serious +5.0
Knott County, KY 64.1 Elevated +2.0
Perry County, KY 61.8 Elevated -0.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Breathitt County
Essex County, VA 62.1 Elevated 0.0
Charlotte County, VA 62.2 Elevated +0.0
Bethel Census Area, AK 62.2 Elevated +0.1
Scott County, MS 62.2 Elevated +0.1
Beckham County, OK 62.0 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Breathitt 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 Breathitt 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 Breathitt County, Kentucky?

    Breathitt County has a County Distress Index score of 62.1 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 680th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 30th in Kentucky out of 120 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Breathitt County?

    The primary driver of distress in Breathitt County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 95.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Breathitt County compare to neighboring counties?

    Breathitt County (62.1) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Lee County, KY (70.7); Wolfe County, KY (69.1); Magoffin County, KY (67.4).

  • 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 Breathitt County?

    Breathitt County, Kentucky has a population of approximately 12,953 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.