About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Butler County, Kentucky, are not working
In Butler County, 30.6% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives Butler County's score
In Butler County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 86.3. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 81.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Butler 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.
Butler County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.2%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.0%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 86.3 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 202681st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working30.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
-
- 81.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.7% · August 202575th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people266.7 · 202587th percentile
-
- 74.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.4% · 202477th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.3% · 202473rd percentile
- People with a disability18.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- People without health insurance11.8% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,561 · 202469th percentile
-
- 72.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.6% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.1% · second quarter of 202666th percentile
-
- 18.8 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 rent11.2% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.0% · fiscal year 202721st percentile
-
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 Butler 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 Butler County, 19.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Butler County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Butler County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 36.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Butler County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Butler County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 17.3% in 2017 to 14.5% in 2018.
The share of households in Butler County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 17.6%
Low on the chart: 14.3% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Butler County, Kentucky.
How Butler County has changed
Butler County's population had its largest rise, from 11,949 in 1994 to 12,937 in 1999.
Butler County's population rose 29% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 13,044 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Butler County, Kentucky.
The number of jobs located in Butler County had its largest drop, from 4,140 in 2000 to 3,003 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Butler County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 29% since
High on the chart: 4,140 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Butler County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.8% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.1% | 2024 17.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,271 | 2024 $60,561 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Butler County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 15,896. The 2020 Census counted 12,371, 78% of the peak. Census Bureau
1971
A tornado in April 1971 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1969
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Butler County, 18 of them for flooding. FEMA
Butler County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Butler County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Butler County ranks 4th of the seven; Ohio County is highest, at 38.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muhlenberg County, KY | 84 | 19.1% | 37.6% |
| Grayson County, KY | 79 | 22.4% | 36.5% |
| Logan County, KY | 79 | 17.7% | 32.9% |
| Butler County, KY | 78 | 17.4% | 36.3% |
| Edmonson County, KY | 75 | 14.9% | 33.5% |
| Ohio County, KY | 70 | 15.3% | 38.6% |
| Warren County, KY | 67 | 15.3% | 23.3% |
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 Butler County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Butler County's poverty rate was 17.4% in 2024, 54th 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, Butler County ranks 54th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Butler 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.
-
Kentucky Legal Aid
Legal aid
-
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 Butler 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 Butler County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.