Trimble County, Kentucky
More than double the national median for bankruptcy filing rate — and 39.8× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Glacier County, MT — 7).
Main Findings
Trimble County, Kentucky ranks 1,552nd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: a bankruptcy filing rate of 290 — more than double the national median of 126.
- 1,552nd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Middle fifth, 109th in Kentucky.
- A bankruptcy filing rate of 290 (U.S. median 126). Bankruptcy filing rate at the 90th percentile nationally.
- Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 55th percentile.
- Subprime credit share at 31% — national median 23%, ranked at the 76th percentile.
- Disability rate at 18% — national median 16%, ranked at the 72nd percentile.
Neighbors span four CDI distress fifths. The 42-point drop to Oldham County marks where the Kentucky distress corridor ends.
"Trimble County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story."
"The CDI places this county in the middle fifth nationally. The county sits near the center of the geography distribution, so the domain mix matters more than the composite alone."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
Trimble County's credit card delinquency indicator is at the 9th percentile — while every other indicator in the delinquency domain sits at or above the 62nd percentile. The gap stands out against the other credit indicators. Worth a call to Urban Institute or a local credit counselor in Bedford.
The Indicators Behind Trimble County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Trimble County's value shown alongside KY's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Trimble | KY median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 49 · Rank 1,595 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 6% | 5% | 62nd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 6% | 5% | 9th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 31% | 28% | 23% | 76th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 86 · Rank 254 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 33% | 29% | 23% | 81st | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 290 | 243 | 126 | 90th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 17 · Rank 2,894 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 18% | 20% | 21% | 21st | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 10% | 18% | 18% | 12th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 55 · Rank 1,394 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 4% | 4% | 55th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 49 · Rank 1,624 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 17% | 22% | 18% | 44th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 18% | 21% | 16% | 72nd | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 13% | 17% | 14% | 47th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 28% | 34% | 27% | 58th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 6% | 6% | 8% | 24th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Trimble County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 152-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
BEDFORD, Ky. — Trimble County ranks 1,552nd among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 51 out of 100 places Trimble in the middle fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,551 counties rank more distressed. Within Kentucky, Trimble ranks 109th of 120 counties.
The index, which draws on 16 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies default & legal as the primary driver in Trimble. A bankruptcy filing rate of 290 — more than double the national median of 126.
"Trimble County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Trimble County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Trimble County's distress score?
How does Trimble County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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