Unemployment in Greenup County, Kentucky, is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties
In Greenup County, 5.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Greenup County's score
In Greenup County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 88.4. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 75.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Greenup 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.
Greenup County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (5.5%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.7%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.4 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 working28.4% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
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- 75.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.0% · August 202567th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people241.3 · 202583rd percentile
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- 68.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.5% · second quarter of 202671st percentile
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- 63.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.7% · 202474th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.8% · 202463rd percentile
- People with a disability22.2% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- People without health insurance5.5% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,352 · 202466th percentile
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- 55.9 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 rent22.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.7% · fiscal year 202738th 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 Greenup 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 Greenup County, 22.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Greenup County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Greenup County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 33.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Greenup County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Greenup County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.9% in 2010 to 15.9% in 2011.
The share of households in Greenup County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 13.9%
Low on the chart: 11.8% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Greenup County, Kentucky.
How Greenup County has changed
Greenup County's population had its largest rise, from 34,425 in 1974 to 38,597 in 1979.
Greenup County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 38,597 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Greenup County, Kentucky.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Greenup County fell 18% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 8,528 in 1990. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Greenup County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.4% | 2025 6.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.4% | 2024 16.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,279 | 2024 $61,352 |
The table uses 6.0% 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 Greenup County's history
1803
Organized by an act of the General Assembly of Kentucky on December 12, 1803, from Mason County. Wikipedia
1937
Ohio River flood of 1937 caused permanent exodus from Greenup; population declined 5.5% by 1940. Wikipedia
1968
A tornado in April 1968 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 39,132. The 2020 Census counted 35,962, 92% of the peak. Census Bureau
2007
A thunderstorm in August 2007 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in May 2010 did $3.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in December 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Greenup County, 20 of them for flooding. FEMA
Greenup County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Greenup County, in Kentucky and Ohio, three score higher. Of the group, Greenup County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Lewis County gets the largest, at 43.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scioto County, OH | 92 | 19.1% | 37.7% |
| Carter County, KY | 91 | 18.9% | 43.5% |
| Boyd County, KY | 88 | 18.0% | 35.7% |
| Greenup County, KY | 84 | 16.7% | 33.4% |
| Lewis County, KY | 82 | 22.2% | 43.8% |
| Lawrence County, OH | 78 | 15.0% | 34.9% |
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 Greenup County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Greenup County's poverty rate was 16.7% in 2024, 59th 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, Greenup County ranks 37th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Greenup 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 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 Greenup 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 Greenup County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.