Powell County, Kentucky

County Distress Index: Serious · 67.2 | 12,972 people · 19th most distressed in Kentucky
American Default Research

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Powell County, KY shows significant household financial distress with a score of 67.2 — 368th 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 19th of 120 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Powell County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 88.7 — worse than roughly 89% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 88.7
Poverty Rate 91
Income vs. State Median 87
Child Poverty Rate 88
Housing Cost Burden 67.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 83
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 78
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 40
Homeownership Rate 73
Rent-to-Income Ratio 64
Debt & Delinquency 67.4
Debt in Collections 88
Medical Debt 76
Student Loan Delinquency 5
Auto Loan Delinquency 66
Credit Card Delinquency 94
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 75
Employment & Wages 58.2
Unemployment Rate 52
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 58
Business Formation Rate 64
Community Vulnerability 54.0
Uninsured Rate 18
Disability Rate 90

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Powell County
Powell County, KY 67.2 Serious —
Lee County, KY 70.7 Serious +3.5
Wolfe County, KY 69.1 Serious +2.0
Estill County, KY 67.0 Serious -0.1
Menifee County, KY 62.0 Elevated -5.1
Montgomery County, KY 56.0 Elevated -11.1
Clark County, KY 45.5 Normal -21.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Powell County
Jeff Davis County, GA 67.1 Serious -0.0
Stephens County, GA 67.1 Serious -0.0
Franklin County, FL 67.1 Serious -0.1
Levy County, FL 67.1 Serious -0.1
La Paz County, AZ 67.2 Serious +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Powell 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 Powell 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 Powell County, Kentucky?

    Powell County has a County Distress Index score of 67.2 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 368th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 19th in Kentucky out of 120 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Powell County?

    The primary driver of distress in Powell County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 88.7 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Powell County compare to neighboring counties?

    Powell County (67.2) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Lee County, KY (70.7); Wolfe County, KY (69.1); Estill County, KY (67.0).

  • 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 Powell County?

    Powell County, Kentucky has a population of approximately 12,972 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.