Letcher County, Kentucky
Above the national median for unemployment — and 5.5× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 1%).
Main Findings
Letcher County, Kentucky ranks 411th 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.
- 411th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 72.1 · high county distress, 37th in Kentucky.
- 6% of the labor force is unemployed (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment at the 92nd percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Bankruptcy filing rate at 573 — national median 126, ranked at the 99th percentile. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Disability rate at 30% — national median 16%, ranked at the 99th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Subprime credit share at 34% — national median 23%, ranked at the 85th percentile. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025).
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 16-point drop to Wise County, VA marks a cross-border distress gradient.
"Letcher County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position."
"The CDI gives this county a high county distress label. The rank belongs beside the score because the two answer different questions: score intensity and national position. 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), Letcher County's uninsured rate indicator is at the 6th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 89th 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 Whitesburg.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023), 29% of children under 18 in Letcher 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 Letcher County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Letcher County's value shown alongside KY's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Letcher | KY median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 51 · Rank 1,506 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 6% | 5% | 38th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 6% | 5% | 32nd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 34% | 28% | 23% | 85th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 89 · Rank 162 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 32% | 29% | 23% | 79th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 573 | 243 | 126 | 99th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 51 · Rank 1,492 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 25% | 20% | 21% | 79th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 13% | 18% | 18% | 23rd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 92 · Rank 253 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 6% | 5% | 4% | 92nd | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 77 · Rank 502 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 29% | 22% | 18% | 89th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 30% | 21% | 16% | 99th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 24% | 17% | 14% | 94th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 4% | 6% | 8% | 6th | 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 Letcher County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 142-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
WHITESBURG, Ky. — Letcher County ranks 411th 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 72.1 out of 100 gives Letcher a high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 410 counties rank more distressed. Within Kentucky, Letcher ranks 37th 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 Letcher. 6% of the labor force is unemployed — above the national median of 4%.
"Letcher County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Letcher County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Letcher County's distress score?
How does Letcher County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Letcher County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →