Magoffin County, Kentucky

County Distress Index: Serious · 67.4 | 11,228 people · 15th most distressed in Kentucky
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Magoffin County, KY shows significant household financial distress with a score of 67.4 — 351st 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 15th of 120 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Magoffin County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 95.0 — worse than roughly 95% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 95.0
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 95
Employment & Wages 75.5
Unemployment Rate 95
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 62
Business Formation Rate 70
Debt & Delinquency 67.3
Debt in Collections 86
Medical Debt 58
Student Loan Delinquency 7
Auto Loan Delinquency 81
Credit Card Delinquency 75
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 95
Community Vulnerability 50.7
Uninsured Rate 6
Disability Rate 95
Housing Cost Burden 48.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 32
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 75
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 18
Homeownership Rate 33
Rent-to-Income Ratio 84

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Magoffin County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Magoffin County
Magoffin County, KY 67.4 Serious —
Wolfe County, KY 69.1 Serious +1.8
Johnson County, KY 69.1 Serious +1.7
Floyd County, KY 66.5 Serious -0.9
Morgan County, KY 65.7 Serious -1.7
Knott County, KY 64.1 Elevated -3.2
Breathitt County, KY 62.1 Elevated -5.2

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Magoffin County
Richland Parish, LA 67.4 Serious +0.0
Tallahatchie County, MS 67.3 Serious -0.0
Karnes County, TX 67.4 Serious +0.0
Sunflower County, MS 67.4 Serious +0.0
Marion County, SC 67.4 Serious +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Magoffin 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 Magoffin 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 Magoffin County, Kentucky?

    Magoffin County has a County Distress Index score of 67.4 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 351st nationally out of 3,144 counties and 15th in Kentucky out of 120 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Magoffin County?

    The primary driver of distress in Magoffin County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 95.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Magoffin County compare to neighboring counties?

    Magoffin County (67.4) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Wolfe County, KY (69.1); Johnson County, KY (69.1); Floyd County, KY (66.5).

  • 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 Magoffin County?

    Magoffin County, Kentucky has a population of approximately 11,228 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.