About three in ten people in Crittenden County, Kentucky, have a disability
In Crittenden County, 28.9% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Crittenden County's score
In Crittenden County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 80.9. About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 (29.5%, 2020 to 2024) aren't working, a higher share than in 88% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 80.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Crittenden 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.
Crittenden County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (4.0%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.0%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202673rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.5% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
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- 80.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.5% · 202478th percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.5% · 202483rd percentile
- People with a disability28.9% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance10.4% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,359 · 202477th percentile
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- 80.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.5% · August 202579th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.6% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.9% · second quarter of 202674th percentile
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- 60.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.6% · August 202562nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people144.9 · 202558th percentile
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- 18.5 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent4.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.0% · fiscal year 202732nd 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 Crittenden 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 Crittenden County, 21.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Crittenden County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Crittenden County had its largest rise, from 28.9% in 2004 to 32.6% in 2009.
In Crittenden County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 39% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Crittenden County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 37.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Crittenden County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop in the last span, from 13.9% in 2023 to 10.6% in 2024.
The share of households in Crittenden County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2022 and has since fallen to 10.6%
Low on the chart: 9.6% in 2012. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Crittenden County, Kentucky.
How Crittenden County has changed
Crittenden County's population rose 6% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1969 and 1974
High on the chart: 9,344 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Crittenden County, Kentucky.
The number of jobs located in Crittenden County had its largest rise, from 1,936 in 1990 to 2,300 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Crittenden County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 2,300 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Crittenden County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.8% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.3% | 2024 17.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,202 | 2024 $57,359 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Crittenden County's history
1842
Created by the state legislature on April 1, 1842, from a portion of Livingston County. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 15,191. The 2020 Census counted 8,990, 59% of the peak. Census Bureau
1947
Fluorspar mining industry peaked in 1947 and been in slow decline since. Wikipedia
2000
A tornado in January 2000 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in April 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1996
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Crittenden County, 18 of them for flooding. FEMA
Crittenden County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Crittenden County, in Kentucky and Illinois, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Crittenden County ranks 3rd of the seven; Hardin County is highest, at 38.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Livingston County, KY | 78 | 13.0% | 37.5% |
| Crittenden County, KY | 73 | 17.5% | 37.0% |
| Union County, KY | 70 | 18.2% | 34.9% |
| Caldwell County, KY | 69 | 16.0% | 36.8% |
| Hardin County, IL | 59 | 17.9% | 38.5% |
| Webster County, KY | 57 | 16.1% | 31.2% |
| Lyon County, KY | 51 | 15.3% | 34.1% |
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 Crittenden County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Crittenden County's poverty rate was 17.5% in 2024, 53rd 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, Crittenden County ranks 68th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Crittenden 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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Kentucky Legal Aid
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 Crittenden 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 Crittenden County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.