Clay County, Kentucky
Above the national median for unemployment — and 6.3× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 1%).
Main Findings
Clay County, Kentucky ranks 50th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 6% of the labor force is unemployed — above the national median of 4%. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.
- 50th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 85.1 · very high county distress, 4th in Kentucky.
- 6% of the labor force is unemployed (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment at the 95th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Bankruptcy filing rate at 407 — national median 126, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Rent-to-income ratio at 29% — national median 21%, ranked at the 93rd percentile. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Child poverty rate at 54% — national median 18%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
Clay County has a very high county distress score. The domain table shows which local pressure carries the composite.
The CDI gives this county a very high county distress label. The five-domain profile shows which local pressures carry the score. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023), Clay County's uninsured rate indicator is at the 13th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 95th percentile. The gap stands out against child poverty rate and disability rate. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Manchester.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023), 54% of children under 18 in Clay County live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.
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 Clay County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Clay County's value shown alongside KY's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Clay | KY median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 68 · Rank 952 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 6% | 5% | 58th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 6% | 5% | 50th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 39% | 28% | 23% | 95th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 94 · Rank 61 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 39% | 29% | 23% | 94th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 407 | 243 | 126 | 95th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 90 · Rank 157 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 29% | 20% | 21% | 93rd | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 25% | 18% | 18% | 87th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 95 · Rank 68 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 6% | 5% | 4% | 95th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 79 · Rank 426 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 54% | 22% | 18% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 28% | 21% | 16% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 37% | 17% | 14% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 5% | 6% | 8% | 13th | 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 Clay County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 127-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
MANCHESTER, Ky. — Clay County ranks 50th 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 85.1 out of 100 gives Clay a very high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, only 49 rank more distressed. Within Kentucky, Clay ranks fourth 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 Clay. 6% 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 Clay County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Clay County's distress score?
How does Clay County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Clay County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →