Knox County, Kentucky
Above the national median for unemployment — and 6.3× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 1%).
Main Findings
Knox County, Kentucky ranks 36th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 6% of the labor force is unemployed — above the national median of 4%. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.
- 36th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 86.2 · very high county distress, 2nd in Kentucky.
- 6% of the labor force is unemployed (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment at the 96th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Bankruptcy filing rate at 426 — national median 126, ranked at the 97th percentile. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Poverty rate at 35% — national median 14%, ranked at the 99th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Subprime credit share at 36% — national median 23%, ranked at the 89th percentile. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025).
Knox County has a very high county distress score. The domain table shows which local pressure carries the composite.
The CDI gives this county a very high county distress label. The five-domain profile shows which local pressures carry the score. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023), Knox County's uninsured rate indicator is at the 35th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 94th percentile. The gap stands out against child poverty rate and disability rate. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Barbourville.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023), 43% of children under 18 in Knox County live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Knox County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Knox County's value shown alongside KY's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Knox | KY median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 83 · Rank 454 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 6% | 5% | 71st | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 9% | 6% | 5% | 88th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 36% | 28% | 23% | 89th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 94 · Rank 65 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 38% | 29% | 23% | 91st | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 426 | 243 | 126 | 97th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 73 · Rank 637 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 28% | 20% | 21% | 90th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 19% | 18% | 18% | 55th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 96 · Rank 42 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 6% | 5% | 4% | 96th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 85 · Rank 186 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 43% | 22% | 18% | 99th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 24% | 21% | 16% | 94th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 35% | 17% | 14% | 99th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 6% | 6% | 8% | 35th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Knox County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 127-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
BARBOURVILLE, Ky. — Knox County ranks 36th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 86.2 out of 100 gives Knox a very high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, only 35 rank more distressed. Within Kentucky, Knox ranks second of 120 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies labor as the primary driver in Knox. 6% of the labor force is unemployed — above the national median of 4%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Knox County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Knox County's distress score?
How does Knox County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Knox County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →