About one in five people in Breckinridge County, Kentucky, has a disability
In Breckinridge County, 22.0% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Breckinridge County's score
In Breckinridge County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 82.2. Unemployment averaged 5.1%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 83% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 73.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Breckinridge 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.
Breckinridge County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (12.6%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.5%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202683rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.9% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
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- 73.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.3% · 202481st percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.2% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability22.0% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- People without health insurance7.0% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,822 · 202473rd percentile
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- 72.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.4% · August 202565th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people217.8 · 202579th percentile
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- 67.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.1% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.5% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.6% · second quarter of 202673rd percentile
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- 23.9 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 rent12.6% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.5% · fiscal year 202727th 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 Breckinridge 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 Breckinridge County, 20.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Breckinridge County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Breckinridge County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 35.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Breckinridge County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 35.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Breckinridge County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 13.4% in 2023 to 16.3% in 2024.
The share of households in Breckinridge County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 16.3%
Low on the chart: 13.2% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Breckinridge County, Kentucky.
How Breckinridge County has changed
Breckinridge County's population rose 44% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 18,422. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Breckinridge County, Kentucky.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Breckinridge County rose by more than half to 3,769, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 2,917. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Breckinridge County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.7% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.8% | 2024 18.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,440 | 2024 $58,822 |
The table uses 5.3% for 2025; the score uses 5.1% 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 Breckinridge County's history
1799
Split off from Hardin County in 1799. Wikipedia
1826
Bloodiest slave rebellion in Kentucky before Civil War occurred in September 1826 on Ohio River in Breckinridge County. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 21,034. The 2020 Census counted 20,432, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A tornado in April 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in May 2006 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Breckinridge County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Breckinridge County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Breckinridge County, in Kentucky and Indiana, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Breckinridge County ranks 3rd of the seven; Ohio County is highest, at 38.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grayson County, KY | 79 | 22.4% | 36.5% |
| Breckinridge County, KY | 73 | 18.3% | 35.6% |
| Ohio County, KY | 70 | 15.3% | 38.6% |
| Hardin County, KY | 66 | 12.7% | 27.1% |
| Meade County, KY | 47 | 9.8% | 23.3% |
| Perry County, IN | 40 | 13.9% | 30.2% |
| Hancock County, KY | 37 | 12.5% | 24.1% |
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 Breckinridge County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Breckinridge County's poverty rate was 18.3% in 2024, 46th 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, Breckinridge County ranks 70th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Breckinridge 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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Legal Aid Society
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 Breckinridge 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 Breckinridge County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.