Benefit checks make up 44 cents of every dollar of income in Morgan County, Kentucky
In Morgan County, 43.9% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Morgan County's score
In Morgan County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 88.5. Unemployment averaged 5.6%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 89% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 87.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Morgan 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.
Morgan County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (14.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202689th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.9% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
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- 87.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.3% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.0% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.1% · second quarter of 202680th percentile
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- 85.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line25.3% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line28.9% · 202490th percentile
- People with a disability24.8% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance8.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$46,382 · 2024top 5%
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- 69.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.7% · August 202572nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people168 · 202565th percentile
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- 51.3 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 rent14.2% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.5% · fiscal year 202774th 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 Morgan 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 Morgan County, 17.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Morgan County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Morgan County had its largest rise, from 32.1% in 2004 to 40.7% in 2009.
In Morgan County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 43.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Morgan County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 43.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Morgan County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 28.4% in 2012 to 32.0% in 2013.
The share of households in Morgan County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 18.6%
Low on the chart: 18.4% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Morgan County, Kentucky.
How Morgan County has changed
Morgan County's population had its largest rise, from 11,508 in 1989 to 13,403 in 1994.
Morgan County's population rose 41% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 14,319 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Morgan County, Kentucky.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Morgan County rose 42% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 2,696. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Morgan County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.3% | 2025 6.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 38.5% | 2024 25.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $14,113 | 2024 $46,382 |
The table uses 6.0% for 2025; the score uses 5.6% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Morgan County's history
1822
Formed on December 7, 1822 from portions of Bath County and Floyd County. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 16,827. The 2020 Census counted 13,726, 82% of the peak. Census Bureau
2012
EF3 tornado on March 2, 2012 hit Morgan County with monetary costs reaching up to $75 million and six people killed. Wikipedia
2012
A tornado in March 2012 did $75 million in property damage and killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1978
34 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Morgan County, 22 of them for flooding. FEMA
Morgan County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Morgan County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Morgan County ranks 7th of the eight; Wolfe County is highest, at 55.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magoffin County, KY | 99 | 30.1% | 53.5% |
| Johnson County, KY | 93 | 20.9% | 47.1% |
| Lawrence County, KY | 93 | 23.4% | 47.0% |
| Wolfe County, KY | 91 | 26.1% | 55.5% |
| Morgan County, KY | 91 | 25.3% | 43.9% |
| Menifee County, KY | 90 | 23.6% | 46.6% |
| Rowan County, KY | 82 | 20.8% | 36.4% |
| Elliott County, KY | 81 | 28.3% | 52.7% |
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 Morgan County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Morgan County's poverty rate was 25.3% in 2024, 18th 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, Morgan County ranks 24th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Morgan 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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Legal Aid of the Bluegrass
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 Morgan 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 Morgan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.