Wayne County, Kentucky

County Distress Index: Serious · 72.2 | 19,580 people · 4th most distressed in Kentucky
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Wayne County, KY shows significant household financial distress with a score of 72.2 — 124th 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 4th 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. Wayne County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 94.7 — worse than roughly 95% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 94.7
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 94
Child Poverty Rate 95
Employment & Wages 75.6
Unemployment Rate 76
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 62
Business Formation Rate 89
Debt & Delinquency 67.3
Debt in Collections 70
Medical Debt 59
Student Loan Delinquency 60
Auto Loan Delinquency 76
Credit Card Delinquency 47
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 92
Community Vulnerability 65.5
Uninsured Rate 36
Disability Rate 95
Housing Cost Burden 57.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 45
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 94
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 13
Homeownership Rate 62
Rent-to-Income Ratio 76

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Wayne County
Wayne County, KY 72.2 Serious —
McCreary County, KY 72.9 Serious +0.7
Scott County, TN 69.2 Serious -3.0
Clinton County, KY 67.3 Serious -4.9
Russell County, KY 60.8 Elevated -11.3
Pickett County, TN 60.0 Elevated -12.2
Pulaski County, KY 57.4 Elevated -14.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Wayne County
Chattooga County, GA 72.2 Serious -0.0
Dixie County, FL 72.1 Serious -0.0
Delaware County, OK 72.1 Serious -0.0
Marshall County, MS 72.1 Serious -0.1
Glacier County, MT 72.1 Serious -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Wayne 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County, Kentucky?

    Wayne County has a County Distress Index score of 72.2 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 124th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 4th in Kentucky out of 120 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Wayne County?

    The primary driver of distress in Wayne County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 94.7 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Wayne County compare to neighboring counties?

    Wayne County (72.2) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: McCreary County, KY (72.9); Scott County, TN (69.2); 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 Wayne County?

    Wayne County, Kentucky has a population of approximately 19,580 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.