About one in four people in Edmonson County, Kentucky, has a disability
In Edmonson County, 24.4% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Edmonson County's score
In Edmonson County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 90.4. About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 (32.2%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 93% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 67.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Edmonson 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.
Edmonson County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (10.2%, 2020 to 2024) and people without health insurance (7.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202687th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.2% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
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- 67.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.9% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.1% · 202455th percentile
- People with a disability24.4% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance7.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,647 · 202476th percentile
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- 63.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.4% · August 202555th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people192.8 · 202572nd percentile
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- 56.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.7% · second quarter of 202658th percentile
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- 48.0 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 rent10.2% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.0% · fiscal year 202783rd 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 Edmonson 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 Edmonson County, 21.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Edmonson County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Edmonson County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 28.1% in 2004 to 35.1% in 2009.
In Edmonson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 33.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Edmonson County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Edmonson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 19.4% in 2017 to 16.0% in 2018.
The share of households in Edmonson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 13.1%
Low on the chart: 11.5% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Edmonson County, Kentucky.
How Edmonson County has changed
Edmonson County's population rose by about half to 12,635, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 11,602. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Edmonson County, Kentucky.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Edmonson County rose by about a quarter to 1,695, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 1,695. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Edmonson County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.3% | 2025 5.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 24.1% | 2024 14.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,787 | 2024 $57,647 |
The table uses 5.6% for 2025; the score uses 5.4% 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 Edmonson County's history
1825
Established on January 12, 1825, from land given by Grayson, Hart and Warren counties. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 12,161. The 2020 Census counted 12,126, 100% of the peak. Census Bureau
2019
A flood in December 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1989
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Edmonson County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Edmonson County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Edmonson County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Edmonson County ranks 4th of the six; Grayson County is highest, at 36.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barren County, KY | 83 | 15.7% | 33.6% |
| Grayson County, KY | 79 | 22.4% | 36.5% |
| Butler County, KY | 78 | 17.4% | 36.3% |
| Hart County, KY | 75 | 18.0% | 32.4% |
| Edmonson County, KY | 75 | 14.9% | 33.5% |
| Warren County, KY | 67 | 15.3% | 23.3% |
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 Edmonson County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Edmonson County's poverty rate was 14.9% in 2024, 81st 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, Edmonson County ranks 62nd of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Edmonson 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 Edmonson 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 Edmonson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.