Metcalfe County, Kentucky

County Distress Index: Elevated · 59.7 | 10,482 people · 42nd most distressed in Kentucky
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Metcalfe County, KY registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 59.7 — 848th 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 42nd of 120 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 6 neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Metcalfe County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 94.8 — worse than roughly 95% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 94.8
Poverty Rate 94
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 95
Community Vulnerability 66.7
Uninsured Rate 46
Disability Rate 87
Debt & Delinquency 54.7
Debt in Collections 60
Medical Debt 70
Student Loan Delinquency 7
Auto Loan Delinquency 78
Credit Card Delinquency 50
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 64
Employment & Wages 42.0
Unemployment Rate 34
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 35
Business Formation Rate 57
Housing Cost Burden 40.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 21
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 10
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 44
Homeownership Rate 45
Rent-to-Income Ratio 82

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Metcalfe County
Metcalfe County, KY 59.7 Elevated —
Adair County, KY 63.0 Elevated +3.3
Barren County, KY 61.4 Elevated +1.7
Cumberland County, KY 60.8 Elevated +1.0
Monroe County, KY 57.8 Elevated -2.0
Green County, KY 57.7 Elevated -2.1
Hart County, KY 56.6 Elevated -3.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Metcalfe County
Union Parish, LA 59.7 Elevated 0.0
Attala County, MS 59.7 Elevated -0.0
Chowan County, NC 59.7 Elevated -0.0
Henry County, MO 59.8 Elevated +0.0
Morgan County, OH 59.7 Elevated -0.0

Download Data

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

Find Help in Metcalfe 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 Metcalfe 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 Metcalfe County, Kentucky?

    Metcalfe County has a County Distress Index score of 59.7 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 848th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 42nd in Kentucky out of 120 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Metcalfe County?

    The primary driver of distress in Metcalfe County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 94.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Metcalfe County compare to neighboring counties?

    Metcalfe County (59.7) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Adair County, KY (63.0); Barren County, KY (61.4); Cumberland County, KY (60.8).

  • 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 Metcalfe County?

    Metcalfe County, Kentucky has a population of approximately 10,482 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.