Harrison County, Kentucky
Above the national median for bankruptcy filing rate — and 33.2× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Glacier County, MT — 7).
Main Findings
Harrison County, Kentucky ranks 896th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: a bankruptcy filing rate of 242 — above the national median of 126. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
- 896th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 62.6 · moderate-high county distress, 81st in Kentucky.
- A bankruptcy filing rate of 242 (U.S. median 126). Bankruptcy filing rate at the 84th percentile nationally. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Credit card delinquency at 7% — national median 5%, ranked at the 78th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 70th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Severe rent burden (50%+) at 25% — national median 18%, ranked at the 88th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 29-point drop to Scott County marks where the Kentucky distress corridor ends.
Harrison County has a moderate-high county distress score. The domain mix shows whether pressure is concentrated or spread across the profile.
The CDI gives this county a moderate-high county distress label. The domain table shows whether the score comes from debt, labor, safety-net pressure, or a mix. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023), Harrison County's uninsured rate indicator is at the 5th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 44th percentile. The gap stands out against the other credit indicators. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Cynthiana.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Harrison County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Harrison County's value shown alongside KY's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Harrison | KY median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 75 · Rank 691 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 6% | 5% | 72nd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 6% | 5% | 78th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 30% | 28% | 23% | 74th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 75 · Rank 571 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 28% | 29% | 23% | 67th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 242 | 243 | 126 | 84th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 48 · Rank 1,644 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 16% | 20% | 21% | 8th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 25% | 18% | 18% | 88th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 70 · Rank 902 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 5% | 4% | 70th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 45 · Rank 1,764 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 17% | 22% | 18% | 44th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 19% | 21% | 16% | 76th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 14% | 17% | 14% | 53rd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 4% | 6% | 8% | 5th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Harrison County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 127-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
CYNTHIANA, Ky. — Harrison County ranks 896th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 62.6 out of 100 gives Harrison a moderate-high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 895 counties rank more distressed. Within Kentucky, Harrison ranks 81st of 120 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies default & legal as the primary driver in Harrison. A bankruptcy filing rate of 242 — above the national median of 126.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Harrison County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Harrison County's distress score?
How does Harrison County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Harrison County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →