Knott County, Kentucky

County Distress Index: Elevated · 64.1 | 13,659 people · 26th most distressed in Kentucky
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Knott County, KY registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 64.1 — 554th 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 26th of 120 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 6 neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Knott County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 94.1 — worse than roughly 94% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 94.1
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 93
Employment & Wages 74.4
Unemployment Rate 78
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 50
Business Formation Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 56.3
Debt in Collections 66
Medical Debt 49
Student Loan Delinquency 5
Auto Loan Delinquency 28
Credit Card Delinquency 95
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 95
Community Vulnerability 50.0
Uninsured Rate 5
Disability Rate 95
Housing Cost Burden 46.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 20
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 60
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 67
Rent-to-Income Ratio 78

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Knott County
Knott County, KY 64.1 Elevated —
Magoffin County, KY 67.4 Serious +3.2
Pike County, KY 66.8 Serious +2.6
Floyd County, KY 66.5 Serious +2.3
Breathitt County, KY 62.1 Elevated -2.0
Perry County, KY 61.8 Elevated -2.3
Letcher County, KY 60.5 Elevated -3.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Knott County
Siskiyou County, CA 64.2 Elevated +0.0
Roosevelt County, MT 64.2 Elevated +0.0
Madison County, TX 64.1 Elevated -0.0
Greene County, AR 64.1 Elevated -0.1
Martin County, KY 64.0 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Knott 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 Knott 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 Knott County, Kentucky?

    Knott County has a County Distress Index score of 64.1 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 554th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 26th in Kentucky out of 120 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Knott County?

    The primary driver of distress in Knott County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 94.1 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Knott County compare to neighboring counties?

    Knott County (64.1) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Magoffin County, KY (67.4); Pike County, KY (66.8); Floyd County, KY (66.5).

  • 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 Knott County?

    Knott County, Kentucky has a population of approximately 13,659 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.