Benefit checks make up 43 cents of every dollar of income in Green County, Kentucky
In Green County, 42.8% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Green County's score
In Green County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 82.9. About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 (30.5%, 2020 to 2024) aren't working, a higher share than in 90% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 77.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Green 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.
Green County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (4.3%, August 2025) and people without health insurance (7.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.9 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 202675th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working30.5% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
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- 77.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.9% · 202479th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.1% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability24.2% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- People without health insurance7.4% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,542 · 202487th percentile
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- 64.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.8% · August 202559th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people174.4 · 202568th percentile
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- 51.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.3% · second quarter of 202654th percentile
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- 48.9 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 rent17.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.8% · fiscal year 202751st 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 Green 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 Green County, 22.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Green County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Green County had its largest rise, from 30.0% in 2004 to 36.4% in 2009.
In Green County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 42.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Green County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 42.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Green County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.9% in 2011 to 20.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Green County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 19.7%
Low on the chart: 14.7% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Green County, Kentucky.
How Green County has changed
Green County's population rose 11% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1994 and 1999
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 11,404. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Green County, Kentucky.
The number of jobs located in Green County had its largest rise in the last span, from 1,656 in 2020 to 1,900 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Green County fell 14% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 1,656 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Green County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.9% | 2024 17.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,478 | 2024 $52,542 |
The table uses 5.1% 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 Green County's history
1792
Formed in 1792 from portions of Lincoln and Nelson Counties, becoming the 16th Kentucky county in order of formation. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 12,321. The 2020 Census counted 11,107, 90% of the peak. Census Bureau
1958
Oil boom 1958-early 1960s provided economic lift to Green County. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A thunderstorm in April 2002 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1971
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Green County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Green County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Green County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Green County ranks 2nd of the six; Metcalfe County is highest, at 45.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor County, KY | 80 | 16.4% | 38.4% |
| Adair County, KY | 80 | 21.2% | 39.2% |
| Hart County, KY | 75 | 18.0% | 32.4% |
| Green County, KY | 75 | 17.9% | 42.8% |
| Metcalfe County, KY | 71 | 20.9% | 45.1% |
| Larue County, KY | 67 | 14.1% | 32.3% |
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 Green County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Green County's poverty rate was 17.9% in 2024, 50th 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, Green County ranks 65th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Green 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.
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 Green County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.