About one in five people in Harrison County, Kentucky, has a disability
In Harrison County, 18.6% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 71% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Harrison County's score
In Harrison County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 75.2. Bankruptcy filings ran at 242.1 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 83% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 71.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Harrison 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.
Harrison County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (3.2%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (16.2%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 75.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.7% · August 202566th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people242.1 · 202583rd percentile
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- 71.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.4% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.0% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.7% · second quarter of 202665th percentile
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- 52.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.5% · 202467th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.2% · 202469th percentile
- People with a disability18.6% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- People without health insurance3.2% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,409 · 202447th percentile
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- 49.2 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 rent26.3% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.2% · fiscal year 20277th percentile
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- 47.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202649th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.9% · 2020 to 202445th 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 Harrison 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 Harrison County, 19.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Harrison County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Harrison County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 30.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Harrison County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Harrison County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.7% in 2011 to 16.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Harrison County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2021 and has since fallen to 15.9%
Low on the chart: 11.9% 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, Harrison County, Kentucky.
How Harrison County has changed
Harrison County's population rose 38% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 17,845. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Harrison County, Kentucky.
The number of jobs located in Harrison County fell most sharply after its 2000 high, from 5,288 in 2000 to 4,875 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Harrison County rose 6% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 5,288 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Harrison County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.0% | 2024 15.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,449 | 2024 $67,409 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Harrison County's history
1793
Formed on December 21, 1793, from portions of Bourbon and Scott Counties; 17th Kentucky county in order of formation. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 18,846. The 2020 Census counted 18,692, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1974
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Harrison County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Harrison County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Harrison County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Harrison County ranks 4th of the eight; Robertson County is highest, at 40.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bracken County, KY | 81 | 13.8% | 33.4% |
| Bourbon County, KY | 80 | 13.9% | 22.0% |
| Nicholas County, KY | 76 | 16.2% | 38.5% |
| Robertson County, KY | 75 | 17.3% | 40.6% |
| Pendleton County, KY | 72 | 13.7% | 27.8% |
| Harrison County, KY | 65 | 15.5% | 30.7% |
| Grant County, KY | 61 | 13.5% | 29.6% |
| Scott County, KY | 27 | 8.8% | 16.3% |
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 Harrison County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Harrison County's poverty rate was 15.5% in 2024, 74th 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, Harrison County ranks 86th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Harrison 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 Harrison 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 Harrison County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.