About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Robertson County, Kentucky, are not working
In Robertson County, 36.7% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Robertson County's score
In Robertson County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 91.2. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 86.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Robertson 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.
Robertson County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.0%, 2020 to 2024) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (9.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202687th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working36.7% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 86.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector32.9% · August 202581st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people302.6 · 202591st percentile
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- 69.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202564th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.5% · second quarter of 202681st percentile
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- 58.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.3% · 202477th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.4% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability16.7% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- People without health insurance4.0% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,457 · 202474th percentile
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- 19.7 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 rent9.6% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.7% · fiscal year 202728th 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 Robertson 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 Robertson County, 16.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Robertson County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Robertson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 40.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Robertson County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 40.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Robertson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 26.0% in 2011 to 19.9% in 2012.
The share of households in Robertson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2021 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 15.9% in 2017. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Robertson County, Kentucky.
How Robertson County has changed
Robertson County's population rose 9% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2019 and 2024
High on the chart: 2,382 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Robertson County, Kentucky.
The number of jobs located in Robertson County had its largest rise, from 255 in 1995 to 345 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Robertson County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 345 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Robertson County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 5.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.6% | 2024 17.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,099 | 2024 $58,457 |
The table uses 5.8% for 2025; the score uses 5.4% 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 Robertson County's history
1867
Formed February 11, 1867, from portions of Bracken County, Harrison County, Mason County, and Nicholas County. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 4,900. The 2020 Census counted 2,193, 45% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1993
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Robertson County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Robertson County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Robertson County, three score higher. Of the group, Robertson County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (40.6%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mason County, KY | 82 | 15.2% | 31.4% |
| Bracken County, KY | 81 | 13.8% | 33.4% |
| Nicholas County, KY | 76 | 16.2% | 38.5% |
| Robertson County, KY | 75 | 17.3% | 40.6% |
| Fleming County, KY | 74 | 16.5% | 34.5% |
| Harrison County, KY | 65 | 15.5% | 30.7% |
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 Robertson County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Robertson County's poverty rate was 17.3% in 2024, 55th 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, Robertson County ranks 63rd of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Robertson 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 Robertson 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 Robertson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.