Hickman County, Kentucky

County Distress Index: Elevated · 53.1 | 4,447 people · 70th most distressed in Kentucky
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Hickman County, KY registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 53.1 — 1368th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Kentucky, it ranks 70th of 120 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Hickman County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 70.7 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 70.7
Poverty Rate 81
Income vs. State Median 46
Child Poverty Rate 85
Community Vulnerability 70.2
Uninsured Rate 48
Disability Rate 92
Employment & Wages 55.0
Unemployment Rate 49
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 53
Business Formation Rate 64
Debt & Delinquency 44.7
Debt in Collections 54
Medical Debt 57
Student Loan Delinquency 7
Auto Loan Delinquency 63
Credit Card Delinquency 5
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 81
Housing Cost Burden 24.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 5
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 5
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 43
Homeownership Rate 48
Rent-to-Income Ratio 23

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Hickman County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Hickman County
Hickman County, KY 53.1 Elevated —
Mississippi County, MO 76.6 Serious +23.6
Fulton County, KY 72.6 Serious +19.6
Weakley County, TN 63.2 Elevated +10.1
Obion County, TN 58.5 Elevated +5.4
Graves County, KY 55.0 Elevated +1.9
Carlisle County, KY 45.0 Normal -8.0

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Hickman County
Mora County, NM 53.0 Elevated -0.0
Ziebach County, SD 53.1 Elevated +0.0
Lake and Peninsula Borough, AK 53.2 Elevated +0.1
Woodson County, KS 53.2 Elevated +0.2
Linn County, KS 53.3 Elevated +0.2

Download Data

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

Find Help in Hickman 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 Hickman 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 Hickman County, Kentucky?

    Hickman County has a County Distress Index score of 53.1 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,368th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 70th in Kentucky out of 120 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Hickman County?

    The primary driver of distress in Hickman County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 70.7 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Hickman County compare to neighboring counties?

    Hickman County (53.1) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Mississippi County, MO (76.6); Fulton County, KY (72.6); Weakley County, TN (63.2).

  • 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 Hickman County?

    Hickman County, Kentucky has a population of approximately 4,447 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.