In Fayette County, Kentucky, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Fayette County, 23.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 77% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Fayette County's score
In Fayette County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 80.5. About one in four renters (24.1%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 83% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 65.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Fayette 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.
Fayette County does better than most counties on two measures: adults 25 to 54 not working (15.6%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a disability (13.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.5 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent24.1% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.9% · fiscal year 202777th percentile
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- 65.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.8% · August 202556th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people198 · 202574th percentile
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- 47.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.2% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.5% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.4% · second quarter of 202643rd percentile
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- 37.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.7% · 202446th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.7% · 202431st percentile
- People with a disability13.3% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- People without health insurance7.2% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,046 · 202438th percentile
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- 28.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202638th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.6% · 2020 to 202419th 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 Fayette 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 Fayette County, 14.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Fayette County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Fayette County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 16.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Fayette County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Fayette County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 7.8% in 2009 to 9.1% in 2010; 11.7% in 2017 to 10.4% in 2018.
The share of households in Fayette County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 7.8% 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, Fayette County, Kentucky.
How Fayette County has changed
Fayette County's population had its largest rise, from 169,344 in 1969 to 193,935 in 1974.
Fayette County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 329,437, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 209,228. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Fayette County, Kentucky.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Fayette County rose by about half to 206,779, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 206,779. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Fayette County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.7% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.2% | 2024 12.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,373 | 2024 $71,046 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Fayette County's history
1780
Established in June 1780 by the Virginia General Assembly when it abolished and subdivided Kentucky County into three counties: Fayette, Jefferson and Lincoln. Wikipedia
1986
A tornado in March 1986 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1993
A thunderstorm in May 1993 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A thunderstorm in August 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in September 2006 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 322,570, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1978
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Fayette County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Fayette County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Fayette County, three score higher. Of the group, Fayette County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Clark County gets the largest, at 27.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bourbon County, KY | 80 | 13.9% | 22.0% |
| Clark County, KY | 77 | 14.1% | 27.0% |
| Madison County, KY | 63 | 16.4% | 25.6% |
| Fayette County, KY | 53 | 12.7% | 16.2% |
| Jessamine County, KY | 49 | 12.6% | 17.9% |
| Scott County, KY | 27 | 8.8% | 16.3% |
| Woodford County, KY | 15 | 9.7% | 18.6% |
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 Fayette County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Fayette County's poverty rate was 12.7% in 2024, 100th 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, Fayette County ranks 103rd of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Fayette 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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Apprisen - Lexington
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Community Ventures Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Reach, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid of the Bluegrass
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 Fayette 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 Fayette County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.