In Breathitt County, Kentucky, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2008
In 2024, 58 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 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Breathitt County's score
In Breathitt County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 93.2. About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 (42.2%, 2020 to 2024) aren't working, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 82.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Breathitt 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.
Breathitt County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (3.2%, 2020 to 2024) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (9.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.2 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 working42.2% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 82.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.2% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.5% · August 202590th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score58.4% · second quarter of 202694th percentile
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- 79.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.2% · August 202574th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people247 · 202584th percentile
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- 77.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line35.5% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line37.6% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability31.9% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance3.2% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$41,866 · 2024top 5%
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- 49.3 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 rent9.5% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.1% · fiscal year 202787th 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 Breathitt 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 Breathitt County, 18.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Breathitt County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Breathitt County had its largest rise in the last span, from 52.4% in 2019 to 57.6% in 2024.
In Breathitt County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Kentucky
In Breathitt County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 57.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Breathitt County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 30.1% in 2022 to 32.8% in 2023.
The share of households in Breathitt County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2022, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 30.1% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Breathitt County, Kentucky.
How Breathitt County has changed
Breathitt County's population had its largest rise, from 15,078 in 1974 to 17,071 in 1979.
Breathitt County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 17,071 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Breathitt County, Kentucky.
The number of jobs located in Breathitt County had its largest drop, from 3,149 in 2015 to 2,503 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Breathitt County fell by about a third from 1990 to 2020, reaching 2,503, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 3,750 in 1990. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Breathitt County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.0% | 2025 6.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 40.3% | 2024 35.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $14,819 | 2024 $41,866 |
The table uses 6.5% 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 Breathitt County's history
1839
On February 6, 1839, a portion of Clay (along with portions of Estill and Perry Counties) was partitioned off to create Breathitt County. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 23,946. The 2020 Census counted 13,718, 57% of the peak. Census Bureau
1999
A flood in January 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in February 2003 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in May 2009 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
A flash flood in July 2022 killed 10 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
47 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Breathitt County, 34 of them for flooding. FEMA
Breathitt County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Breathitt County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Breathitt County ranks 3rd of the seven; Owsley County is highest, at 65.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magoffin County, KY | 99 | 30.1% | 53.5% |
| Lee County, KY | 96 | 29.6% | 57.7% |
| Owsley County, KY | 95 | 34.6% | 65.1% |
| Knott County, KY | 93 | 25.9% | 54.2% |
| Wolfe County, KY | 91 | 26.1% | 55.5% |
| Perry County, KY | 91 | 24.5% | 49.9% |
| Breathitt County, KY | 91 | 35.5% | 57.6% |
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 Breathitt County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Breathitt County's poverty rate was 35.5% in 2024, 2nd 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, Breathitt County ranks 27th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Breathitt 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.
Download the CSV for Breathitt County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Breathitt County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.