About one in five people in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, has a disability
In Muhlenberg County, 22.3% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Muhlenberg County's score
In Muhlenberg County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 88.9. Late payments on loans come next, at 77.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Muhlenberg 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.
Muhlenberg County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.8%, 2020 to 2024) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202688th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working30.0% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
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- 77.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.4% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.5% · second quarter of 202683rd percentile
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- 76.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.9% · August 202560th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people307.5 · 202591st percentile
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- 69.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.1% · 202484th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.9% · 202471st percentile
- People with a disability22.3% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- People without health insurance4.8% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,408 · 202485th percentile
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- 41.9 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 rent15.9% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.4% · fiscal year 202747th 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 Muhlenberg 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 Muhlenberg County, 20.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Muhlenberg County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Muhlenberg County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 37.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 37.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Muhlenberg County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 16.9% in 2018 to 14.0% in 2019.
The share of households in Muhlenberg County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 16.1%
Low on the chart: 12.8% 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, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.
How Muhlenberg County has changed
Muhlenberg County's population rose 11% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1974 and 1979
High on the chart: 32,775 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.
The number of jobs located in Muhlenberg County had its largest drop, from 9,014 in 2015 to 7,473 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Muhlenberg County fell 15% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 9,370 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.9% | 2025 5.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.2% | 2024 19.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,844 | 2024 $53,408 |
The table uses 5.8% for 2025; the score uses 5.5% 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 Muhlenberg County's history
1798
Formed in 1798 from the areas known as Logan and Christian counties, becoming the 34th county to be founded in Kentucky. Wikipedia
1820
Kentucky's first commercial coal mine opened in 1820. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 37,784. The 2020 Census counted 30,928, 82% of the peak. Census Bureau
1961
A tornado in May 1961 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A flash flood in March 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in February 2008 did $21.3 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A tornado in December 2021 killed 11 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Muhlenberg County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Muhlenberg County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Muhlenberg County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Muhlenberg County ranks 2nd of the eight; Ohio County is highest, at 38.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christian County, KY | 95 | 17.3% | 28.7% |
| Hopkins County, KY | 85 | 19.3% | 33.1% |
| Muhlenberg County, KY | 84 | 19.1% | 37.6% |
| Logan County, KY | 79 | 17.7% | 32.9% |
| Butler County, KY | 78 | 17.4% | 36.3% |
| Todd County, KY | 73 | 16.6% | 27.2% |
| Ohio County, KY | 70 | 15.3% | 38.6% |
| McLean County, KY | 64 | 15.8% | 33.1% |
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 Muhlenberg County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Muhlenberg County's poverty rate was 19.1% in 2024, 41st 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, Muhlenberg County ranks 36th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Muhlenberg 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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Kentucky Legal Aid
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 Muhlenberg 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 Muhlenberg County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.