Hart County, Kentucky

County Distress Index: Elevated · 56.6 | 19,724 people · 56th most distressed in Kentucky
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Hart County, KY registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 56.6 — 1100th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where uninsured and disability rates are well above the national average. Within Kentucky, it ranks 56th of 120 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Hart County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 77.5 — worse than roughly 78% of U.S. counties.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 77.5
Uninsured Rate 66
Disability Rate 89
Income & Poverty 70.9
Poverty Rate 77
Income vs. State Median 66
Child Poverty Rate 70
Debt & Delinquency 62.2
Debt in Collections 76
Medical Debt 83
Student Loan Delinquency 5
Auto Loan Delinquency 72
Credit Card Delinquency 65
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 73
Housing Cost Burden 38.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 24
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 26
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 51
Homeownership Rate 54
Rent-to-Income Ratio 40
Employment & Wages 33.6
Unemployment Rate 38
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 8
Business Formation Rate 55

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Hart County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Hart County
Hart County, KY 56.6 Elevated —
Barren County, KY 61.4 Elevated +4.8
Metcalfe County, KY 59.7 Elevated +3.1
Edmonson County, KY 58.3 Elevated +1.7
Green County, KY 57.7 Elevated +1.1
Grayson County, KY 55.5 Elevated -1.1
Hardin County, KY 47.6 Normal -9.0
Larue County, KY 46.8 Normal -9.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Hart County
Murray County, GA 56.6 Elevated +0.0
Henry County, KY 56.6 Elevated +0.0
Covington County, AL 56.7 Elevated +0.1
Lincoln County, AR 56.7 Elevated +0.1
Fayette County, AL 56.7 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Hart County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Hart County

Find an Attorney

Kentucky Bar Association Lawyer Referral offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Kentucky Bar Association Lawyer Referral 502-564-3795

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Hart County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid of the Bluegrass 1-800-928-4615
Kentucky Legal Aid 1-866-452-9243
Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky (866) 277-5733
Legal Aid Society (502) 584-1254

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Hart County, Kentucky?

    Hart County has a County Distress Index score of 56.6 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,100th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 56th in Kentucky out of 120 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Hart County?

    The primary driver of distress in Hart County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 77.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Hart County compare to neighboring counties?

    Hart County (56.6) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Barren County, KY (61.4); Metcalfe County, KY (59.7); Edmonson County, KY (58.3).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Hart County?

    Hart County, Kentucky has a population of approximately 19,724 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.