In Owsley County, Kentucky, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 1983
In 2024, 65 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives Owsley County's score
In Owsley County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 88.2. About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 (43.3%, 2020 to 2024) aren't working, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 88.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Owsley 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.
Owsley County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (0.0%, August 2025) and people without health insurance (4.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202681st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working43.3% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 88.1 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 rent23.7% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income31.3% · fiscal year 2027top 5%
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- 84.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.3% · August 202577th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people299.9 · 202590th percentile
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- 79.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line34.6% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line40.6% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability38.7% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance4.8% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$34,802 · 2024top 5%
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- 63.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind0.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.7% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score56.1% · second quarter of 202691st 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 Owsley 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 Owsley County, 20.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Owsley County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Owsley County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Kentucky
In Owsley County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 65.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Owsley County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 28.9% in 2023 to 37.8% in 2024.
The share of households in Owsley County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 28.9% 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, Owsley County, Kentucky.
How Owsley County has changed
Owsley County's population had its largest rise, from 5,162 in 1974 to 5,688 in 1979.
Owsley County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 5,688 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Owsley County, Kentucky.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Owsley County rose by about half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 704, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 714 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Owsley County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.7% | 2025 5.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 55.4% | 2024 34.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $9,782 | 2024 $34,802 |
The table uses 5.7% for 2025; the score uses 5.0% 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 Owsley County's history
1843
Formed January 23, 1843 from Clay, Estill, and Breathitt counties. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 8,957. The 2020 Census counted 4,051, 45% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1970
48 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Owsley County, 33 of them for flooding. FEMA
Owsley County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Owsley County, two score higher. Of the group, Owsley County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (65.1%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County, KY | 98 | 33.6% | 56.5% |
| Lee County, KY | 96 | 29.6% | 57.7% |
| Owsley County, KY | 95 | 34.6% | 65.1% |
| Jackson County, KY | 94 | 22.0% | 44.0% |
| Perry County, KY | 91 | 24.5% | 49.9% |
| Breathitt County, KY | 91 | 35.5% | 57.6% |
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 Owsley County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Owsley County's poverty rate was 34.6% in 2024, 3rd 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, Owsley County ranks 14th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Owsley 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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AppalReD 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 Owsley 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 Owsley County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.