Lewis County, Kentucky

County Distress Index: Elevated · 59.9 | 12,973 people · 39th most distressed in Kentucky
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Lewis County, KY registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 59.9 — 833rd 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 39th of 120 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Lewis County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 89.0 — worse than roughly 89% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 89.0
Poverty Rate 91
Income vs. State Median 86
Child Poverty Rate 90
Employment & Wages 73.0
Unemployment Rate 95
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 51
Business Formation Rate 73
Community Vulnerability 55.4
Uninsured Rate 24
Disability Rate 87
Debt & Delinquency 54.6
Debt in Collections 74
Medical Debt 61
Student Loan Delinquency 7
Auto Loan Delinquency 64
Credit Card Delinquency 45
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 77
Housing Cost Burden 27.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 7
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 7
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 39
Homeownership Rate 24
Rent-to-Income Ratio 62

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Lewis County
Lewis County, KY 59.9 Elevated —
Adams County, OH 68.9 Serious +9.0
Scioto County, OH 68.5 Serious +8.5
Carter County, KY 67.3 Serious +7.3
Rowan County, KY 59.9 Elevated -0.0
Mason County, KY 58.2 Elevated -1.7
Fleming County, KY 57.3 Elevated -2.6
Greenup County, KY 55.7 Elevated -4.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Lewis County
Assumption Parish, LA 60.0 Elevated +0.0
Simpson County, MS 60.0 Elevated +0.0
Grayson County, VA 59.9 Elevated -0.0
Logan County, AR 60.0 Elevated +0.0
Rowan County, KY 59.9 Elevated -0.0

Download Data

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

Find Help in Lewis 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 Lewis 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 Lewis County, Kentucky?

    Lewis County has a County Distress Index score of 59.9 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 833rd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 39th in Kentucky out of 120 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Lewis County?

    The primary driver of distress in Lewis County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 89.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Lewis County compare to neighboring counties?

    Lewis County (59.9) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Adams County, OH (68.9); Scioto County, OH (68.5); Carter County, KY (67.3).

  • 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 Lewis County?

    Lewis County, Kentucky has a population of approximately 12,973 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.