Unemployment in Madison County, Kentucky, is higher than in 79% of U.S. counties
In Madison County, 4.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 79% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives Madison County's score
In Madison County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 79.7. Bankruptcy filings ran at 291.5 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 90% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 62.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Madison 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.
Madison County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.5%, fiscal year 2027) and people without health insurance (5.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.4% · August 202569th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people291.5 · 202590th percentile
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- 62.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202677th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.4% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
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- 56.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.3% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.7% · second quarter of 202659th percentile
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- 51.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.4% · 202472nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.9% · 202454th percentile
- People with a disability15.6% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- People without health insurance5.6% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,536 · 202456th percentile
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- 41.6 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 rent19.3% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.5% · fiscal year 202726th 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 Madison 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 Madison County, 14.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Madison County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Madison County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 25.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Madison County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid moved most in three steps: 11.9% in 2009 to 13.4% in 2010; 16.0% in 2012 to 17.5% in 2013; 15.5% in 2017 to 14.0% in 2018.
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 11.9% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Madison County, Kentucky.
How Madison County has changed
Madison County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 91,902 in 2019 to 99,582 in 2024.
Madison County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 99,582, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 54,340. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Madison County, Kentucky.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Madison County doubled to 36,855, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 36,855. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Madison County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.8% | 2024 16.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,400 | 2024 $64,536 |
The table uses 4.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.9% 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 Madison County's history
1862
Battle of Richmond, August 30, 1862. Wikipedia
1906
Eastern Kentucky State Normal School founded 1906 in Richmond. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 killed seven people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A tornado in May 1990 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A tornado in May 2009 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Lightning in August 2013 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 92,701, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Madison County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Madison County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Madison County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Madison County ranks 6th of the eight; Estill County is highest, at 44.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, KY | 94 | 22.0% | 44.0% |
| Rockcastle County, KY | 94 | 21.8% | 43.3% |
| Estill County, KY | 93 | 21.0% | 44.2% |
| Clark County, KY | 77 | 14.1% | 27.0% |
| Madison County, KY | 63 | 16.4% | 25.6% |
| Garrard County, KY | 62 | 14.3% | 30.0% |
| Fayette County, KY | 53 | 12.7% | 16.2% |
| Jessamine County, KY | 49 | 12.6% | 17.9% |
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 Madison County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Madison County's poverty rate was 16.4% in 2024, 63rd 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, Madison County ranks 91st of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Madison 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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AppalReD Legal Aid
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.
Download the CSV for Madison County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Madison County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.