Russell County, Kentucky

County Distress Index: Elevated · 60.8 | 18,279 people · 34th most distressed in Kentucky
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Russell County, KY registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 60.8 — 771st 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 34th of 120 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Russell County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 85.0 — worse than roughly 85% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 85.0
Poverty Rate 91
Income vs. State Median 84
Child Poverty Rate 80
Community Vulnerability 64.5
Uninsured Rate 35
Disability Rate 94
Debt & Delinquency 55.8
Debt in Collections 61
Medical Debt 78
Student Loan Delinquency 5
Auto Loan Delinquency 69
Credit Card Delinquency 43
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 79
Employment & Wages 49.8
Unemployment Rate 34
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 40
Business Formation Rate 76
Housing Cost Burden 49.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 66
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 60
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 8
Homeownership Rate 55
Rent-to-Income Ratio 58

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Russell County
Russell County, KY 60.8 Elevated —
Wayne County, KY 72.2 Serious +11.3
Casey County, KY 68.1 Serious +7.3
Clinton County, KY 67.3 Serious +6.5
Adair County, KY 63.0 Elevated +2.2
Cumberland County, KY 60.8 Elevated -0.1
Pulaski County, KY 57.4 Elevated -3.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Russell County
Gilchrist County, FL 60.8 Elevated 0.0
Trigg County, KY 60.8 Elevated -0.0
Glenn County, CA 60.9 Elevated +0.0
Marion County, AR 60.8 Elevated -0.0
Northampton County, VA 60.9 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Russell 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 Russell 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 Russell County, Kentucky?

    Russell County has a County Distress Index score of 60.8 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 771st nationally out of 3,144 counties and 34th in Kentucky out of 120 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Russell County?

    The primary driver of distress in Russell County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 85.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Russell County compare to neighboring counties?

    Russell County (60.8) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Wayne County, KY (72.2); Casey County, KY (68.1); Clinton County, KY (67.3).

  • 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 Russell County?

    Russell County, Kentucky has a population of approximately 18,279 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.