Wolfe County, Kentucky

County Distress Index: Serious · 69.1 | 6,282 people · 9th most distressed in Kentucky
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Wolfe County, KY shows significant household financial distress with a score of 69.1 — 252nd 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 9th 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. Wolfe County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 95.0 — worse than roughly 95% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 95.0
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 95
Housing Cost Burden 76.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 95
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 62
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 75
Homeownership Rate 71
Rent-to-Income Ratio 82
Employment & Wages 69.7
Unemployment Rate 95
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 62
Business Formation Rate 52
Debt & Delinquency 54.1
Debt in Collections 73
Medical Debt 48
Student Loan Delinquency 7
Auto Loan Delinquency 59
Credit Card Delinquency 66
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 72
Community Vulnerability 50.0
Uninsured Rate 5
Disability Rate 95

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Wolfe County
Wolfe County, KY 69.1 Serious —
Lee County, KY 70.7 Serious +1.6
Magoffin County, KY 67.4 Serious -1.8
Powell County, KY 67.2 Serious -2.0
Morgan County, KY 65.7 Serious -3.4
Breathitt County, KY 62.1 Elevated -7.0
Menifee County, KY 62.0 Elevated -7.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Wolfe County
Menominee County, WI 69.4 Serious +0.3
Taliaferro County, GA 68.9 Serious -0.3
Kemper County, MS 69.5 Serious +0.4
Tensas Parish, LA 68.8 Serious -0.4
Turner County, GA 68.7 Serious -0.4

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Find Help in Wolfe 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 Wolfe 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 Wolfe County, Kentucky?

    Wolfe County has a County Distress Index score of 69.1 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 252nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 9th in Kentucky out of 120 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Wolfe County?

    The primary driver of distress in Wolfe County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 95.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Wolfe County compare to neighboring counties?

    Wolfe County (69.1) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Lee County, KY (70.7); Magoffin County, KY (67.4); Powell County, KY (67.2).

  • 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 Wolfe County?

    Wolfe County, Kentucky has a population of approximately 6,282 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.