In Campbell County, Kentucky, benefit checks make up only 19 cents of every dollar of income
In Campbell County, 18.7% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 83% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives Campbell County's score
In Campbell County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 75.8. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 25.0. People with a credit card behind: 3.5%, August 2025, lower than in 80% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Campbell 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.
Even so, Campbell County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 75.8 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent24.2% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.6% · fiscal year 202767th percentile
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- 52.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.3% · August 202539th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people168.6 · 202566th percentile
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- 31.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202642nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.8% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
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- 25.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.3% · 202433rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.2% · 202423rd percentile
- People with a disability13.3% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- People without health insurance4.9% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,744 · 202425th percentile
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- 25.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.5% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.1% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.9% · second quarter of 202621st 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 Campbell 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 Campbell County, 17.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Campbell County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Campbell County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 14.9% in 2004 to 18.7% in 2009.
In Campbell County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 18.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Campbell County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Campbell County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.1% in 2009 to 8.4% in 2010.
The share of households in Campbell County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 6.2%
Biggest drop: 2016 to 2017, reaching 9.2%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Campbell County, Kentucky.
How Campbell County has changed
Campbell County's population rose 6% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1989 and 1994
High on the chart: 94,008 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Campbell County, Kentucky.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Campbell County rose by about half to 32,037, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 32,037. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Campbell County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.5% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.2% | 2024 11.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,354 | 2024 $76,744 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Campbell County's history
1791
Newport settled c. 1791 by James Taylor Jr. on land purchased from George Muse. Wikipedia
1794
December 17, 1794: the state's 19th county, carved from Scott, Harrison, and Mason counties. Wikipedia
1803
Newport Barracks established in 1803 when Ft. Washington military post moved from Cincinnati. Wikipedia
1880
Newport experienced large German immigration in 1880-90s. Wikipedia
1921
Newport steel mill strike in 1921 involving over 2,000 workers, one in five of town's workers. Wikipedia
1928
Newport steel mill strike formally ended in 1928 without union recognition for three unskilled locals, after seven years. Wikipedia
2012
A tornado in March 2012 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 93,076, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1993
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Campbell County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Campbell County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Campbell County, in Kentucky and Ohio, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Campbell County ranks 3rd of the five; Pendleton County is highest, at 27.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pendleton County, KY | 72 | 13.7% | 27.8% |
| Hamilton County, OH | 61 | 14.2% | 16.5% |
| Kenton County, KY | 40 | 9.8% | 15.6% |
| Campbell County, KY | 36 | 11.3% | 18.7% |
| Clermont County, OH | 33 | 8.6% | 20.6% |
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 Campbell County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Campbell County's poverty rate was 11.3% in 2024, 109th 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, Campbell County ranks 114th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Campbell 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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Brighton Center, Incorporated
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid of the Bluegrass
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 Campbell 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 Campbell County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.