About one in five people in Grayson County, Kentucky, lives below the poverty line
In Grayson County, 22.4% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Grayson County's score
In Grayson County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 85.3. Income and the safety net comes next, at 81.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Grayson 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.
Grayson County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.5%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.2%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202692nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.2% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
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- 81.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line22.4% · 202492nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line29.9% · 202491st percentile
- People with a disability21.1% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance8.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,988 · 202484th percentile
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- 73.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.2% · August 202571st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people201.3 · 202575th percentile
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- 67.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.0% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.2% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.7% · second quarter of 202669th percentile
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- 30.8 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 rent11.5% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.2% · fiscal year 202744th 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 Grayson 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 Grayson County, 18.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Grayson County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Grayson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 36.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Grayson County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Grayson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 18.1% in 2019 to 14.9% in 2020.
The share of households in Grayson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 12.8%
Low on the chart: 11.1% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Grayson County, Kentucky.
How Grayson County has changed
Grayson County's population nearly doubled to 27,070, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 20,393. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Grayson County, Kentucky.
The number of jobs located in Grayson County had its largest rise, from 6,814 in 1995 to 8,517 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Grayson County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 8,517 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Grayson County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.8% | 2025 5.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.4% | 2024 22.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,471 | 2024 $53,988 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Grayson County's history
1810
Established in 1810 from land taken from Hardin and Ohio counties. Wikipedia
1959
A tornado in January 1959 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1961
A tornado in May 1961 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
A tornado in March 1989 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A tornado in May 2000 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 26,420, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1974
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Grayson County, 18 of them for flooding. FEMA
Grayson County beside its neighbors
Grayson County scores higher than all six counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Grayson County ranks 2nd of the seven; Ohio County is highest, at 38.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| Breckinridge County, KY | 73 | 18.3% | 35.6% |
| Ohio County, KY | 70 | 15.3% | 38.6% |
| Hardin County, KY | 66 | 12.7% | 27.1% |
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 Grayson County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Grayson County's poverty rate was 22.4% in 2024, 25th 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, Grayson County ranks 50th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Grayson 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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Legal Aid Society
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 Grayson 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 Grayson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.