Carter County, Kentucky

County Distress Index: Serious · 67.3 | 26,366 people · 17th most distressed in Kentucky
American Default Research

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Carter County, KY shows significant household financial distress with a score of 67.2 — 358th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Debt & Delinquency, where residents carry heavy debt burdens with elevated delinquency and collections rates. Within Kentucky, it ranks 17th of 120 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Carter County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 79.0 — worse than roughly 79% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 79.0
Debt in Collections 77
Medical Debt 56
Student Loan Delinquency 99
Auto Loan Delinquency 85
Credit Card Delinquency 87
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 69
Income & Poverty 77.2
Poverty Rate 83
Income vs. State Median 71
Child Poverty Rate 78
Employment & Wages 74.2
Unemployment Rate 91
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 50
Business Formation Rate 81
Community Vulnerability 70.3
Uninsured Rate 53
Disability Rate 88
Housing Cost Burden 35.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 25
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 44
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 37
Homeownership Rate 27
Rent-to-Income Ratio 44

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Carter County
Carter County, KY 67.3 Serious —
Lawrence County, KY 68.0 Serious +0.8
Elliott County, KY 65.2 Serious -2.0
Lewis County, KY 59.9 Elevated -7.3
Rowan County, KY 59.9 Elevated -7.4
Boyd County, KY 59.1 Elevated -8.1
Greenup County, KY 55.7 Elevated -11.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Carter County
Del Norte County, CA 67.3 Serious 0.0
La Paz County, AZ 67.2 Serious -0.0
Wilbarger County, TX 67.3 Serious +0.0
Tallahatchie County, MS 67.3 Serious +0.1
Powell County, KY 67.2 Serious -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Carter 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 Carter 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

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Carter County has a County Distress Index score of 67.3 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 358th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 17th in Kentucky out of 120 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Carter County?

    The primary driver of distress in Carter County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 79.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Carter County compare to neighboring counties?

    Carter County (67.3) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Lawrence County, KY (68.0); Elliott County, KY (65.2); Lewis County, KY (59.9).

  • 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 Carter County?

    Carter County, Kentucky has a population of approximately 26,366 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.