About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Estill County, Kentucky, are not working
In Estill County, 38.9% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 93% of U.S. counties.
What drives Estill County's score
In Estill County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 92.9. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 85.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Estill 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.
Estill County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (6.3%, 2020 to 2024) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202690th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working38.9% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 85.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.1% · August 202583rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people258.3 · 202586th percentile
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- 85.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.8% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.5% · August 202590th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.1% · second quarter of 202682nd percentile
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- 78.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.0% · 202489th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.8% · 202478th percentile
- People with a disability24.7% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance6.3% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,992 · 202492nd percentile
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- 51.7 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 rent16.2% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.3% · fiscal year 202764th 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 Estill 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 Estill County, 19.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Estill County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Estill County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 44.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Estill County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 44.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Estill County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 24.9% in 2010 to 30.4% in 2011.
The share of households in Estill County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 21.5% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Estill County, Kentucky.
How Estill County has changed
Estill County's population had its largest rise, from 13,490 in 1974 to 14,555 in 1979.
Estill County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 15,291 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Estill County, Kentucky.
The number of jobs located in Estill County rose most sharply from its first year (2,146 in 1990) to 2,474 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Estill County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 2,518 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Estill County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.4% | 2025 5.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 28.3% | 2024 21.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,433 | 2024 $48,992 |
The table uses 5.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.8% 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 Estill County's history
1808
The county was formed in 1808 from land given by Clark and Madison counties. It was Kentucky's 50th county. Wikipedia
1810
Iron mining and smelting began. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 17,978. The 2020 Census counted 14,163, 79% of the peak. Census Bureau
1961
A tornado in June 1961 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flash flood in April 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1978
38 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Estill County, 24 of them for flooding. FEMA
Estill County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Estill County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Estill County ranks 2nd of the six; Lee County is highest, at 57.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee County, KY | 96 | 29.6% | 57.7% |
| Powell County, KY | 94 | 20.8% | 42.2% |
| Jackson County, KY | 94 | 22.0% | 44.0% |
| Estill County, KY | 93 | 21.0% | 44.2% |
| Clark County, KY | 77 | 14.1% | 27.0% |
| Madison County, KY | 63 | 16.4% | 25.6% |
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 Estill County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Estill County's poverty rate was 21.0% in 2024, 32nd 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, Estill County ranks 18th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Estill 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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AppalReD 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 Estill 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 Estill County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.