Kentucky County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 120 counties in Kentucky, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 58.7. 29counties are in Serious or Crisis.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Kentucky Snapshot
120 Counties Scored
58.7 Mean Score
58.8 Median Score
79.9 Bell County Most Distressed
19.6 Oldham County Least Distressed
29 Serious 71 Elevated 18 Normal 2 Healthy
Zone Distribution Kentucky County Map
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Healthy Normal Elevated Serious Crisis
All 120 Kentucky counties colored by distress zone. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How Kentucky's 120 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All Kentucky Counties
120 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Zone | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 | Bell County | 79.9 | Serious | Structural Poverty |
| 2 | 64 | Fulton County | 79.9 | Serious | Structural Poverty |
| 3 | 108 | Christian County | 77.9 | Serious | Legal Distress |
| 4 | 191 | Powell County | 74.8 | Serious | Structural Poverty |
| 5 | 267 | Clay County | 73.0 | Serious | Legal Distress |
| 6 | 276 | Knox County | 72.8 | Serious | Legal Distress |
| 7 | 278 | Lee County | 72.7 | Serious | Structural Poverty |
| 8 | 292 | Johnson County | 72.5 | Serious | Legal Distress |
| 9 | 302 | McCreary County | 72.2 | Serious | Legal Distress |
| 10 | 343 | Magoffin County | 71.1 | Serious | Structural Poverty |
| 11 | 357 | Harlan County | 70.7 | Serious | Structural Poverty |
| 12 | 360 | Wayne County | 70.7 | Serious | Structural Poverty |
| 13 | 365 | Pike County | 70.6 | Serious | Legal Distress |
| 14 | 367 | Wolfe County | 70.5 | Serious | Structural Poverty |
| 15 | 375 | Floyd County | 70.4 | Serious | Legal Distress |
| 16 | 386 | Estill County | 70.0 | Serious | Structural Poverty |
| 17 | 418 | Casey County | 69.5 | Serious | Structural Poverty |
| 18 | 480 | Whitley County | 68.2 | Serious | Legal Distress |
| 19 | 489 | Martin County | 68.1 | Serious | Structural Poverty |
| 20 | 493 | Simpson County | 68.0 | Serious | Legal Distress |
| 21 | 500 | Jackson County | 67.9 | Serious | Structural Poverty |
| 22 | 507 | Clinton County | 67.8 | Serious | Structural Poverty |
| 23 | 527 | Laurel County | 67.3 | Serious | Legal Distress |
| 24 | 542 | Barren County | 67.1 | Serious | Legal Distress |
| 25 | 558 | Rowan County | 66.8 | Serious | Structural Poverty |
| 26 | 605 | Boyd County | 65.8 | Serious | Legal Distress |
| 27 | 608 | Lawrence County | 65.7 | Serious | Structural Poverty |
| 28 | 621 | Carter County | 65.4 | Serious | Structural Poverty |
| 29 | 639 | Rockcastle County | 65.1 | Serious | Legal Distress |
| 30 | 643 | Owsley County | 64.9 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 31 | 650 | Pulaski County | 64.9 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 32 | 651 | Bourbon County | 64.8 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 33 | 659 | Adair County | 64.7 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 34 | 661 | Morgan County | 64.7 | Elevated | Structural Poverty |
| 35 | 685 | Perry County | 64.3 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 36 | 687 | Nicholas County | 64.3 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 37 | 708 | Henry County | 64.0 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 38 | 720 | Warren County | 63.8 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 39 | 734 | Gallatin County | 63.6 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 40 | 739 | Allen County | 63.5 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 41 | 757 | Knott County | 63.3 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 42 | 785 | Boyle County | 62.7 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 43 | 789 | Breathitt County | 62.7 | Elevated | Structural Poverty |
| 44 | 839 | Jefferson County | 61.7 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 45 | 872 | Elliott County | 61.2 | Elevated | Structural Poverty |
| 46 | 901 | Carroll County | 60.7 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 47 | 904 | Butler County | 60.7 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 48 | 910 | Russell County | 60.7 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 49 | 923 | Harrison County | 60.5 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 50 | 942 | Robertson County | 60.1 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 51 | 955 | Mason County | 59.9 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 52 | 956 | Leslie County | 59.9 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 53 | 981 | Menifee County | 59.6 | Elevated | Structural Poverty |
| 54 | 983 | Taylor County | 59.5 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 55 | 989 | Caldwell County | 59.5 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 56 | 995 | Henderson County | 59.4 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 57 | 1,003 | Fleming County | 59.2 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 58 | 1,017 | Hopkins County | 59.0 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 59 | 1,020 | Grant County | 59.0 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 60 | 1,029 | Bracken County | 58.8 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 61 | 1,034 | Hart County | 58.8 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 62 | 1,043 | Trigg County | 58.4 | Elevated | Economic Vitality |
| 63 | 1,065 | Graves County | 58.1 | Elevated | Structural Poverty |
| 64 | 1,078 | Hardin County | 58.0 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 65 | 1,094 | Lincoln County | 57.8 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 66 | 1,101 | McCracken County | 57.7 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 67 | 1,112 | Greenup County | 57.6 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 68 | 1,124 | Franklin County | 57.5 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 69 | 1,126 | Letcher County | 57.4 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 70 | 1,129 | Clark County | 57.4 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 71 | 1,133 | Muhlenberg County | 57.4 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 72 | 1,150 | Owen County | 56.9 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 73 | 1,153 | Garrard County | 56.9 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 74 | 1,163 | Metcalfe County | 56.6 | Elevated | Structural Poverty |
| 75 | 1,166 | Cumberland County | 56.6 | Elevated | Structural Poverty |
| 76 | 1,169 | Madison County | 56.6 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 77 | 1,170 | Washington County | 56.6 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 78 | 1,173 | Grayson County | 56.5 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 79 | 1,174 | Calloway County | 56.5 | Elevated | Economic Vitality |
| 80 | 1,178 | Anderson County | 56.5 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 81 | 1,198 | Mercer County | 56.1 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 82 | 1,211 | Livingston County | 55.8 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 83 | 1,217 | Fayette County | 55.8 | Elevated | Housing Cost Burden |
| 84 | 1,221 | Montgomery County | 55.8 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 85 | 1,225 | Lewis County | 55.7 | Elevated | Structural Poverty |
| 86 | 1,247 | Logan County | 55.4 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 87 | 1,272 | Larue County | 55.0 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 88 | 1,294 | Ohio County | 54.7 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 89 | 1,311 | Monroe County | 54.5 | Elevated | Structural Poverty |
| 90 | 1,323 | Bath County | 54.3 | Elevated | Structural Poverty |
| 91 | 1,333 | Crittenden County | 54.2 | Elevated | Structural Poverty |
| 92 | 1,339 | Edmonson County | 54.0 | Elevated | Economic Vitality |
| 93 | 1,352 | Union County | 53.8 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 94 | 1,360 | Pendleton County | 53.7 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 95 | 1,401 | Marion County | 53.0 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 96 | 1,434 | Carlisle County | 52.3 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 97 | 1,437 | Todd County | 52.2 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 98 | 1,452 | Breckinridge County | 52.0 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 99 | 1,477 | Green County | 51.6 | Elevated | Structural Poverty |
| 100 | 1,554 | Daviess County | 50.4 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 101 | 1,579 | Meade County | 50.0 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 102 | 1,644 | Marshall County | 49.0 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 103 | 1,666 | Lyon County | 48.7 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 104 | 1,706 | McLean County | 48.1 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 105 | 1,710 | Kenton County | 48.0 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 106 | 1,765 | Nelson County | 47.2 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 107 | 1,775 | Jessamine County | 47.0 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 108 | 1,792 | Hickman County | 46.8 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 109 | 1,830 | Bullitt County | 46.2 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 110 | 1,853 | Trimble County | 45.9 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 111 | 1,869 | Campbell County | 45.6 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 112 | 1,937 | Webster County | 44.3 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 113 | 2,039 | Boone County | 42.5 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 114 | 2,063 | Scott County | 42.1 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 115 | 2,188 | Ballard County | 40.1 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 116 | 2,220 | Shelby County | 39.5 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 117 | 2,283 | Spencer County | 38.5 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 118 | 2,296 | Hancock County | 38.3 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 119 | 2,496 | Woodford County | 34.6 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 120 | 3,081 | Oldham County | 19.6 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using PCA-weighted percentile-rank scoring across five statistically derived dimensions: Consumer Credit Distress, Housing Cost Burden, Structural Poverty, Economic Vitality, and Legal Distress. A score of 50 means the county falls at the national median. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.
Crisis (≥80) — Among the most distressed counties in the country
Serious (65–80) — More distressed than roughly 80% of counties
Elevated (50–65) — More distressed than roughly half of counties
Normal (35–50) — Near the national median
Healthy (<35) — Less distressed than most counties