Muhlenberg County, Kentucky

County Distress Index: Elevated · 55.1 | 30,568 people · 62nd most distressed in Kentucky
American Default Research

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Muhlenberg County, KY registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 55.1 — 1199th 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 62nd of 120 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Muhlenberg County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 77.4 — worse than roughly 77% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 77.4
Poverty Rate 87
Income vs. State Median 65
Child Poverty Rate 81
Debt & Delinquency 58.3
Debt in Collections 60
Medical Debt 44
Student Loan Delinquency 4
Auto Loan Delinquency 71
Credit Card Delinquency 78
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 92
Community Vulnerability 54.4
Uninsured Rate 16
Disability Rate 93
Employment & Wages 53.6
Unemployment Rate 67
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 6
Business Formation Rate 89
Housing Cost Burden 31.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 53
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 34
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 24
Homeownership Rate 11
Rent-to-Income Ratio 38

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Muhlenberg County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Muhlenberg County
Muhlenberg County, KY 55.1 Elevated —
Christian County, KY 70.0 Serious +14.9
Butler County, KY 56.5 Elevated +1.4
Todd County, KY 51.5 Elevated -3.7
Ohio County, KY 51.0 Elevated -4.1
Hopkins County, KY 51.0 Elevated -4.2
McLean County, KY 48.8 Normal -6.3
Logan County, KY 48.0 Normal -7.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Muhlenberg County
George County, MS 55.1 Elevated 0.0
Swain County, NC 55.1 Elevated 0.0
Coles County, IL 55.1 Elevated +0.0
Lawrence County, IL 55.1 Elevated +0.0
Jefferson County, PA 55.1 Elevated -0.0

Download Data

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

Find Help in Muhlenberg 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 Muhlenberg 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 Muhlenberg County, Kentucky?

    Muhlenberg County has a County Distress Index score of 55.1 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,199th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 62nd in Kentucky out of 120 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Muhlenberg County?

    The primary driver of distress in Muhlenberg County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 77.4 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Muhlenberg County compare to neighboring counties?

    Muhlenberg County (55.1) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Christian County, KY (70.0); Butler County, KY (56.5); Todd County, KY (51.5).

  • 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 Muhlenberg County?

    Muhlenberg County, Kentucky has a population of approximately 30,568 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.