Unemployment in Mercer County, Kentucky, is higher than in 68% of U.S. counties
In Mercer County, 4.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 68% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mercer County's score
In Mercer County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 75.7. People with a car or retail loan behind: 9.1%, August 2025, higher than in 89% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 68.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mercer 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.
Mercer County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (16.1%, fiscal year 2027) and people without health insurance (5.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 75.7 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.5% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.1% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.8% · second quarter of 202659th percentile
-
- 68.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.5% · August 202551st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people251.1 · 202585th percentile
-
- 59.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202668th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.7% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
-
- 38.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.2% · 202441st percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.0% · 202444th percentile
- People with a disability14.9% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- People without health insurance5.0% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,889 · 202446th percentile
-
- 23.3 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 rent16.3% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.1% · fiscal year 20277th percentile
-
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 Mercer 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 Mercer County, 18.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mercer County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Mercer County had its largest rise, from 20.0% in 2004 to 26.8% in 2009.
In Mercer County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 29.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Mercer County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Mercer County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 11.6% in 2019 to 9.5% in 2020.
The share of households in Mercer County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 10.9%
Low on the chart: 9.5% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Mercer County, Kentucky.
How Mercer County has changed
Mercer County's population had its largest rise, from 15,824 in 1969 to 17,673 in 1974.
Mercer County's population rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23,515, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 19,148. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mercer County, Kentucky.
The number of jobs located in Mercer County rose most sharply from its first year (5,506 in 1990) to 6,584 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Mercer County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 7,143 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mercer County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.1% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.0% | 2024 12.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,400 | 2024 $67,889 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Mercer County's history
1785
1785, created from Lincoln County, Virginia. Wikipedia
1862
Battle of Perryville aftermath October 10, 1862 capture of 1600 Confederate soldiers in Harrodsburg raid. Wikipedia
1995
A tornado in May 1995 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in May 2003 did $15 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in February 2008 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 22,641, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A thunderstorm in May 2024 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1974
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mercer County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mercer County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Mercer County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Mercer County ranks 3rd of the seven; Washington County is highest, at 30.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boyle County, KY | 72 | 14.8% | 28.5% |
| Garrard County, KY | 62 | 14.3% | 30.0% |
| Washington County, KY | 61 | 14.1% | 30.8% |
| Mercer County, KY | 55 | 12.2% | 29.2% |
| Anderson County, KY | 50 | 9.5% | 23.7% |
| Jessamine County, KY | 49 | 12.6% | 17.9% |
| Woodford County, KY | 15 | 9.7% | 18.6% |
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 Mercer County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Mercer County's poverty rate was 12.2% in 2024, 107th 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, Mercer County ranks 100th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mercer 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.
-
Legal Aid of the Bluegrass
Legal aid
-
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 Mercer 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 Mercer County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.