About one in four people in Russell County, Kentucky, has a disability
In Russell County, 24.0% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Russell County's score
In Russell County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 78.9. Jobs come next, at 72.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Russell 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.
Russell County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (5.1%, August 2025) and people without health insurance (7.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 78.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.8% · 202483rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.2% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability24.0% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- People without health insurance7.6% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$51,235 · 202489th percentile
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- 72.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202662nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.2% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
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- 70.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.1% · August 202561st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people218.8 · 202579th percentile
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- 60.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.6% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.3% · second quarter of 202670th percentile
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- 60.3 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 rent20.5% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.3% · fiscal year 202756th 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 Russell 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 Russell County, 20.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Russell County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Russell County rose most sharply from its first year (15.4% in 1969) to 22.9% in 1974.
In Russell County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 31.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Russell County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Russell County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 18.9% in 2011 to 23.2% in 2012.
The share of households in Russell County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 15.0% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Russell County, Kentucky.
How Russell County has changed
Russell County's population had its largest rise, from 10,586 in 1969 to 12,197 in 1974.
Russell County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18,458, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 14,664. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Russell County, Kentucky.
The number of jobs located in Russell County fell most sharply after its 1995 high, from 6,611 in 1995 to 5,707 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Russell County fell 8% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 5,339 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Russell County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.5% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 23.3% | 2024 18.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,136 | 2024 $51,235 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Russell County's history
1825
Formed December 14, 1825, from portions of Adair, Cumberland, and Wayne counties. Wikipedia
1971
A tornado in April 1971 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A tornado in March 1997 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 17,991, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1971
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Russell County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Russell County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Russell County, four score higher. Of the group, Russell County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Clinton County gets the largest, at 48.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County, KY | 95 | 28.8% | 48.6% |
| Clinton County, KY | 90 | 21.4% | 48.8% |
| Casey County, KY | 89 | 18.8% | 42.3% |
| Pulaski County, KY | 83 | 20.1% | 42.1% |
| Russell County, KY | 81 | 18.8% | 31.1% |
| Adair County, KY | 80 | 21.2% | 39.2% |
| Cumberland County, KY | 76 | 19.8% | 47.7% |
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 Russell County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Russell County's poverty rate was 18.8% in 2024, 44th 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, Russell County ranks 45th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Russell 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 Russell 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 Russell County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.