Rockcastle County, Kentucky

County Distress Index: Elevated · 62.3 | 16,190 people · 29th most distressed in Kentucky
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Rockcastle County, KY registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 62.3 — 669th 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 29th of 120 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Rockcastle County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 83.0 — worse than roughly 83% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 83.0
Poverty Rate 91
Income vs. State Median 76
Child Poverty Rate 82
Debt & Delinquency 77.9
Debt in Collections 80
Medical Debt 90
Student Loan Delinquency 60
Auto Loan Delinquency 71
Credit Card Delinquency 74
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 93
Employment & Wages 59.7
Unemployment Rate 55
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 50
Business Formation Rate 74
Community Vulnerability 53.4
Uninsured Rate 16
Disability Rate 90
Housing Cost Burden 37.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 18
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 61
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 20
Homeownership Rate 39
Rent-to-Income Ratio 50

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Rockcastle County
Rockcastle County, KY 62.3 Elevated —
Jackson County, KY 69.0 Serious +6.7
Laurel County, KY 60.8 Elevated -1.5
Pulaski County, KY 57.4 Elevated -4.9
Lincoln County, KY 54.0 Elevated -8.4
Garrard County, KY 50.3 Elevated -12.0
Madison County, KY 43.1 Normal -19.2

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Rockcastle County
Radford city, VA 62.3 Elevated -0.0
Warren County, TN 62.4 Elevated +0.1
Morgan County, TN 62.4 Elevated +0.1
Clark County, AR 62.4 Elevated +0.1
Scott County, MS 62.2 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Rockcastle 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 Rockcastle 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 Rockcastle County, Kentucky?

    Rockcastle County has a County Distress Index score of 62.3 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 669th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 29th in Kentucky out of 120 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Rockcastle County?

    The primary driver of distress in Rockcastle County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 83.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Rockcastle County compare to neighboring counties?

    Rockcastle County (62.3) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Jackson County, KY (69.0); Laurel County, KY (60.8); Pulaski County, KY (57.4).

  • 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 Rockcastle County?

    Rockcastle County, Kentucky has a population of approximately 16,190 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.