Caldwell County, Kentucky

County Distress Index: Elevated · 56.0 | 12,551 people · 59th most distressed in Kentucky
American Default Research

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Caldwell County, KY registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 56.0 — 1146th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where uninsured and disability rates are well above the national average. Within Kentucky, it ranks 59th 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. Caldwell County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 78.5 — worse than roughly 79% of U.S. counties.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 78.5
Uninsured Rate 62
Disability Rate 95
Income & Poverty 65.7
Poverty Rate 67
Income vs. State Median 63
Child Poverty Rate 68
Debt & Delinquency 53.0
Debt in Collections 70
Medical Debt 78
Student Loan Delinquency 5
Auto Loan Delinquency 9
Credit Card Delinquency 69
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 86
Housing Cost Burden 45.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 59
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 44
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 25
Homeownership Rate 63
Rent-to-Income Ratio 36
Employment & Wages 36.9
Unemployment Rate 19
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 38
Business Formation Rate 54

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Caldwell County
Caldwell County, KY 56.0 Elevated —
Christian County, KY 70.0 Serious +14.0
Trigg County, KY 60.8 Elevated +4.9
Crittenden County, KY 57.3 Elevated +1.3
Hopkins County, KY 51.0 Elevated -5.0
Lyon County, KY 46.9 Normal -9.1
Webster County, KY 45.5 Normal -10.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Caldwell County
Pierce County, GA 55.9 Elevated -0.0
De Soto Parish, LA 56.0 Elevated +0.0
St. John the Baptist Parish, LA 55.9 Elevated -0.1
Montgomery County, KY 56.0 Elevated +0.1
Crawford County, MI 56.0 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Caldwell 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 Caldwell 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

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in Kentucky →

Continue Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Caldwell County, Kentucky?

    Caldwell County has a County Distress Index score of 56.0 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,146th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 59th in Kentucky out of 120 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Caldwell County?

    The primary driver of distress in Caldwell County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 78.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Caldwell County compare to neighboring counties?

    Caldwell County (56.0) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Christian County, KY (70.0); Trigg County, KY (60.8); Crittenden County, KY (57.3).

  • 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 Caldwell County?

    Caldwell County, Kentucky has a population of approximately 12,551 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.