About one in four people in Washington County, Kentucky, has a disability
In Washington County, 23.0% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Washington County's score
In Washington County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 69.3. Bankruptcy filings ran at 179.3 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 69% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 67.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Washington 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.
Washington County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (16.9%, fiscal year 2027) and people with a credit card behind (3.9%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.2% · August 202568th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people179.3 · 202569th percentile
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- 67.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202649th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.4% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
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- 64.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.1% · 202457th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.2% · 202450th percentile
- People with a disability23.0% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- People without health insurance11.0% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,540 · 202450th percentile
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- 54.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202524th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.4% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.9% · second quarter of 202674th percentile
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- 29.1 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 rent17.3% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.9% · fiscal year 202712th 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 Washington 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 Washington County, 19.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Washington County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Washington County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 30.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Washington County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Washington County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 10.4% in 2011 to 14.8% in 2012; 18.1% in 2016 to 13.7% in 2017.
The share of households in Washington County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 16.2%
Low on the chart: 9.4% 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, Washington County, Kentucky.
How Washington County has changed
Washington County's population had its largest rise, from 10,501 in 1994 to 10,895 in 1999.
Washington County's population rose 14% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
High on the chart: 12,269 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Washington County, Kentucky.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Washington County nearly doubled to 3,569, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 2,816. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Washington County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.6% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.2% | 2024 14.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,061 | 2024 $66,540 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Washington County's history
1792
Established in 1792 from land taken from Nelson County, the first county created by Kentucky after separation from Virginia. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 14,773. The 2020 Census counted 12,027, 81% of the peak. Census Bureau
2020
A flash flood in June 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A flood in February 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A tornado in May 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1989
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Washington County, 18 of them for flooding. FEMA
Washington County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Washington County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Washington County ranks 2nd of the six; Marion County is highest, at 32.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boyle County, KY | 72 | 14.8% | 28.5% |
| Washington County, KY | 61 | 14.1% | 30.8% |
| Marion County, KY | 60 | 16.4% | 32.1% |
| Mercer County, KY | 55 | 12.2% | 29.2% |
| Anderson County, KY | 50 | 9.5% | 23.7% |
| Nelson County, KY | 44 | 11.7% | 23.7% |
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 Washington County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Washington County's poverty rate was 14.1% in 2024, 88th 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, Washington County ranks 94th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Washington 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 Society
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 Washington 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 Washington County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.