Unemployment in Lewis County, Kentucky, is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties
In Lewis County, 8.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lewis County's score
In Lewis County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 95.0. Income and the safety net comes next, at 76.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lewis County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Lewis County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (6.0%, 2020 to 2024) and people without health insurance (5.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 95.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year8.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working33.7% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 76.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line22.2% · 202492nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line28.9% · 202490th percentile
- People with a disability19.9% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- People without health insurance5.6% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$47,414 · 202494th percentile
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- 75.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.0% · August 202573rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people208.1 · 202576th percentile
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- 61.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.2% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.0% · second quarter of 202674th percentile
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- 38.2 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent6.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.0% · fiscal year 202771st percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Lewis County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Lewis County, 19.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lewis County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Lewis County had its largest rise, from 30.9% in 2004 to 36.9% in 2009.
In Lewis County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 43.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Lewis County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 43.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lewis County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2010 low, from 21.4% in 2010 to 25.3% in 2011.
The share of households in Lewis County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 21.4% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lewis County, Kentucky.
How Lewis County has changed
Lewis County's population had its largest rise, from 13,054 in 1974 to 14,362 in 1979.
Lewis County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 14,362 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lewis County, Kentucky.
The number of jobs located in Lewis County fell most sharply after its 1995 high, from 2,404 in 1995 to 1,756 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Lewis County fell by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 1,912, with its low point on the chart in 2000
Low on the chart: 1,756 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lewis County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.6% | 2025 8.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 29.2% | 2024 22.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,367 | 2024 $47,414 |
The table uses 8.2% for 2025; the score uses 8.1% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Lewis County's history
1806
Split off from Mason County in 1806. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 17,868. The 2020 Census counted 13,080, 73% of the peak. Census Bureau
2000
A flash flood in February 2000 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in May 2003 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A flash flood in May 2004 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lewis County, 23 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lewis County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Lewis County, in Kentucky and Ohio, four score higher. Of the group, Lewis County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (43.8%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scioto County, OH | 92 | 19.1% | 37.7% |
| Carter County, KY | 91 | 18.9% | 43.5% |
| Adams County, OH | 88 | 17.4% | 36.3% |
| Greenup County, KY | 84 | 16.7% | 33.4% |
| Mason County, KY | 82 | 15.2% | 31.4% |
| Lewis County, KY | 82 | 22.2% | 43.8% |
| Rowan County, KY | 82 | 20.8% | 36.4% |
| Fleming County, KY | 74 | 16.5% | 34.5% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Lewis County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Lewis County's poverty rate was 22.2% in 2024, 27th highest of 120 in Kentucky (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is McCreary County, at 36.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Lewis County ranks 41st of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lewis County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Aid of the Bluegrass
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Lewis County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.