Laurel County, Kentucky

County Distress Index: Elevated · 60.8 | 63,296 people · 36th most distressed in Kentucky

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Laurel County, KY registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 60.8 — 775th 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 36th of 120 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 6 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Laurel County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 80.9 — worse than roughly 81% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 80.9
Poverty Rate 91
Income vs. State Median 66
Child Poverty Rate 86
Debt & Delinquency 69.0
Debt in Collections 83
Medical Debt 69
Student Loan Delinquency 10
Auto Loan Delinquency 71
Credit Card Delinquency 84
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 97
Community Vulnerability 62.1
Uninsured Rate 51
Disability Rate 73
Employment & Wages 50.0
Unemployment Rate 72
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 19
Business Formation Rate 59
Housing Cost Burden 41.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 34
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 52
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 17
Homeownership Rate 64
Rent-to-Income Ratio 42

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Laurel County
Laurel County, KY 60.8 Elevated
McCreary County, KY 72.9 Serious +12.1
Knox County, KY 71.5 Serious +10.8
Jackson County, KY 69.0 Serious +8.2
Whitley County, KY 67.7 Serious +6.9
Clay County, KY 67.0 Serious +6.2
Rockcastle County, KY 62.3 Elevated +1.5
Pulaski County, KY 57.4 Elevated -3.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Laurel County
Orange County, TX 60.9 Elevated +0.1
Oktibbeha County, MS 60.9 Elevated +0.1
Taney County, MO 60.9 Elevated +0.1
Gibson County, TN 60.6 Elevated -0.1
Sampson County, NC 61.0 Elevated +0.2

Download Data

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

Find Help in Laurel County

Find an Attorney

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

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Laurel County residents at no cost.

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