Carter County, Kentucky
Above the national median for unemployment — and 6.8× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 1%).
Main Findings
Carter County, Kentucky ranks 294th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 7% of the labor force is unemployed — above the national median of 4%. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.
- 294th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 75.1 · high county distress, 31st in Kentucky.
- 7% of the labor force is unemployed (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment at the 98th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Credit card delinquency at 8% — national median 5%, ranked at the 87th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Disability rate at 22% — national median 16%, ranked at the 88th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Debt in collections at 31% — national median 23%, ranked at the 77th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Carter County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position.
The CDI gives this county a high county distress label. The rank belongs beside the score because the two answer different questions: score intensity and national position. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Carter County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Carter County's value shown alongside KY's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Carter | KY median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 84 · Rank 407 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 6% | 5% | 85th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 6% | 5% | 87th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 32% | 28% | 23% | 79th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 73 · Rank 635 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 31% | 29% | 23% | 77th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 178 | 243 | 126 | 69th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 44 · Rank 1,815 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 20% | 20% | 21% | 44th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 17% | 18% | 18% | 44th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 98 · Rank 25 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 7% | 5% | 4% | 98th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 77 · Rank 497 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 24% | 22% | 18% | 78th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 22% | 21% | 16% | 88th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 19% | 17% | 14% | 83rd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 8% | 6% | 8% | 53rd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Carter County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 126-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
GRAYSON, Ky. — Carter County ranks 294th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 75.1 out of 100 gives Carter a high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 293 counties rank more distressed. Within Kentucky, Carter ranks 31st of 120 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies labor as the primary driver in Carter. 7% of the labor force is unemployed — above the national median of 4%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Carter County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
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How does Carter County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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