In McCreary County, Kentucky, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2005
In 2024, 58 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 99% of U.S. counties.
What drives McCreary County's score
In McCreary County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 93.4. About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 (42.6%, 2020 to 2024) aren't working, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 92.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in McCreary 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.
McCreary County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202691st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working42.6% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 92.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind10.8% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.9% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score59.6% · second quarter of 2026top 5%
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- 89.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.6% · August 202585th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people334.3 · 202593rd percentile
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- 86.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line36.4% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line41.5% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability25.4% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance8.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$40,509 · 2024top 5%
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- 79.1 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 rent21.1% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.9% · fiscal year 202790th 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 McCreary 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 McCreary County, 16.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
McCreary County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In McCreary County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Kentucky
In McCreary County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 58.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in McCreary County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 38.2% in 2014 to 34.3% in 2015.
The share of households in McCreary County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 33.3%
Low on the chart: 29.8% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, McCreary County, Kentucky.
How McCreary County has changed
McCreary County's population had its largest rise, from 13,753 in 1974 to 15,438 in 1979.
McCreary County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 18,207 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, McCreary County, Kentucky.
The number of jobs located in McCreary County rose most sharply from its first year (2,076 in 1990) to 3,243 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in McCreary County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 3,265 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, McCreary County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 15.2% | 2025 5.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 45.5% | 2024 36.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $11,121 | 2024 $40,509 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in McCreary County's history
1903
Stearns company interests dominated and controlled the county. Wikipedia
1937
Stearns companies sold vast quantities of land to the U.S. Government, becoming part of Cumberland National Forest. Wikipedia
1980
A tornado in April 1980 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1994
County's last operating mine closed. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 18,306. The 2020 Census counted 16,888, 92% of the peak. Census Bureau
2018
A thunderstorm in September 2018 did $2,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered McCreary County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
McCreary County beside its neighbors
McCreary County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Kentucky and Tennessee. Of the group, McCreary County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (58.2%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| McCreary County, KY | 99 | 36.4% | 58.2% |
| Wayne County, KY | 95 | 28.8% | 48.6% |
| Whitley County, KY | 92 | 25.5% | 47.6% |
| Laurel County, KY | 90 | 17.8% | 35.7% |
| Scott County, TN | 83 | 17.7% | 41.0% |
| Campbell County, TN | 83 | 18.9% | 34.5% |
| Pulaski County, KY | 83 | 20.1% | 42.1% |
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 McCreary County the poorest county in Kentucky?
Yes, McCreary County's poverty rate was 36.4% in 2024, the highest of 120 counties in Kentucky (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, McCreary County ranks 2nd of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in McCreary 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 McCreary 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 McCreary County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.