Jefferson County, Kentucky

County Distress Index: Normal · 47.7 | 772,144 people · 90th most distressed in Kentucky
American Default Research

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Jefferson County, KY falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 47.7 — 1768th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Kentucky, it ranks 90th of 120 counties. It scores higher than all 8 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Jefferson County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 75.0 — worse than roughly 75% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 75.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 72
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 71
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 72
Homeownership Rate 90
Rent-to-Income Ratio 70
Debt & Delinquency 61.7
Debt in Collections 70
Medical Debt 74
Student Loan Delinquency 8
Auto Loan Delinquency 70
Credit Card Delinquency 58
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 90
Income & Poverty 52.2
Poverty Rate 69
Income vs. State Median 20
Child Poverty Rate 68
Community Vulnerability 30.0
Uninsured Rate 25
Disability Rate 35
Employment & Wages 19.6
Unemployment Rate 34
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 16
Business Formation Rate 9

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Jefferson County compares to its 8 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Jefferson County
Jefferson County, KY 47.7 Normal —
Hardin County, KY 47.6 Normal -0.1
Clark County, IN 43.9 Normal -3.8
Floyd County, IN 38.3 Normal -9.4
Bullitt County, KY 36.1 Normal -11.6
Harrison County, IN 34.5 Healthy -13.3
Spencer County, KY 32.9 Healthy -14.8
Shelby County, KY 32.4 Healthy -15.4
Oldham County, KY 15.1 Healthy -32.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Jefferson County
Collier County, FL 47.7 Normal -0.0
District of Columbia, DC 47.6 Normal -0.1
Monroe County, NY 47.9 Normal +0.2
Washington County, AR 47.5 Normal -0.3
Lorain County, OH 47.5 Normal -0.3

Download Data

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

Find Help in Jefferson County

HUD-Approved Housing Counselors

Free foreclosure prevention and financial counseling near Jefferson County.

APPRISEN - CCCS OF THE MIDWEST - LOUISVILLE
LOUISVILLE
800-355-2227 Website
Foreclosure PreventionFinancial CounselingPre-PurchaseRental Help
LOUISVILLE URBAN LEAGUE
Louisville
502-585-4622 Website
Foreclosure PreventionMortgage HelpFinancial CounselingFinancial Counseling
THE HOUSING PARTNERSHIP, INC
Louisville
502-585-5451 Website
Financial CounselingPre-PurchaseHomebuyer Education

See all counselors in Kentucky →

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 Jefferson 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

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in Kentucky →

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Jefferson County has a County Distress Index score of 47.7 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 1,768th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 90th in Kentucky out of 120 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Jefferson County?

    The primary driver of distress in Jefferson County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 75.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Jefferson County compare to neighboring counties?

    Jefferson County (47.7) can be compared to its 8 neighboring counties: Hardin County, KY (47.6); Clark County, IN (43.9); Floyd County, IN (38.3).

  • 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 Jefferson County?

    Jefferson County, Kentucky has a population of approximately 772,144 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a large county.