Monroe County, Kentucky

County Distress Index: Elevated · 57.8 | 11,306 people · 48th most distressed in Kentucky
American Default Research

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Monroe County, KY registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 57.8 — 1010th 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 48th of 120 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Monroe County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 91.5 — worse than roughly 92% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 91.5
Poverty Rate 94
Income vs. State Median 91
Child Poverty Rate 90
Community Vulnerability 58.3
Uninsured Rate 24
Disability Rate 93
Housing Cost Burden 54.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 31
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 58
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 39
Homeownership Rate 73
Rent-to-Income Ratio 69
Debt & Delinquency 43.5
Debt in Collections 65
Medical Debt 59
Student Loan Delinquency 7
Auto Loan Delinquency 76
Credit Card Delinquency 34
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 20
Employment & Wages 41.4
Unemployment Rate 52
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 18
Business Formation Rate 54

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Monroe County
Monroe County, KY 57.8 Elevated —
Clay County, TN 65.8 Serious +8.1
Barren County, KY 61.4 Elevated +3.6
Cumberland County, KY 60.8 Elevated +3.0
Metcalfe County, KY 59.7 Elevated +2.0
Allen County, KY 58.3 Elevated +0.5
Macon County, TN 56.3 Elevated -1.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Monroe County
Crawford County, IN 57.7 Elevated -0.0
Stoddard County, MO 57.8 Elevated +0.0
Hockley County, TX 57.7 Elevated -0.0
White County, TN 57.8 Elevated +0.1
Page County, VA 57.7 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Monroe 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 Monroe 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

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in Kentucky →

Continue Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Monroe County, Kentucky?

    Monroe County has a County Distress Index score of 57.8 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,010th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 48th in Kentucky out of 120 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Monroe County?

    The primary driver of distress in Monroe County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 91.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Monroe County compare to neighboring counties?

    Monroe County (57.8) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Clay County, TN (65.8); 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 Monroe County?

    Monroe County, Kentucky has a population of approximately 11,306 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.