Ballard County, Kentucky
Above the national median for bankruptcy filing rate — and 32.5× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Glacier County, MT — 7).
Main Findings
Ballard County, Kentucky is more distressed than 62% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: a bankruptcy filing rate of 237 — above the national median of 126. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal and its lowest is Debt Burden (housing basis).
- 90th of 120 counties in Kentucky on the County Distress Index — 62 · moderate-high county distress, more distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
- A bankruptcy filing rate of 237 (U.S. median 126). Bankruptcy filing rate at the 83rd percentile nationally. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Unemployment (average of monthly rates) at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 76th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025).
- Child poverty rate at 23% — national median 17%, ranked at the 76th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024).
- Credit card delinquency at 6% — national median 5%, ranked at the 63rd percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 45-point drop to Carlisle County marks where the Kentucky distress corridor ends.
Ballard County has a moderate-high county distress score. The domain mix shows whether pressure is concentrated or spread across the profile.
The CDI gives this county a moderate-high county distress label. The domain table shows whether the score comes from debt, labor, safety-net pressure, or a mix. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024), Ballard County's uninsured rate indicator is at the 16th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 63rd percentile. The gap stands out against the other credit indicators. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Wickliffe.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Ballard County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Ballard County's value shown alongside KY's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Ballard | KY median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 46 · Rank 1,711 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 6% | 5% | 25th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 6% | 5% | 63rd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 23% | 28% | 23% | 50th | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 72 · Rank 681 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 26% | 29% | 23% | 60th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 237 | 243 | 126 | 83rd | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 43 · Rank 1,854 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 23% | 21% | 21% | 72nd | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 11% | 18% | 18% | 15th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 70 · Rank 761 of 3,144 | |||||
| Adults 25-54 not working Share of adults aged 25 to 54 without a job, leaving out residents of prisons and other institutions (service members count as working) | 23% | 27% | 21% | 64th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Unemployment (average of monthly rates) Share of labor force unemployed, averaged over the monthly rates published for September 2025 to August 2026 (no figures published for October 2025) | 5% | 5% | 4% | 76th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 58 · Rank 1,251 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 23% | 22% | 17% | 76th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 17% | 21% | 16% | 63rd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 16% | 17% | 13% | 70th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 5% | 6% | 8% | 16th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
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 scores household financial distress from 0 to 100 for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A county's score is the share of U.S. counties it is more distressed than. 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 five domains are averaged, and that average is ranked against every other county to give the score.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), Equifax data retrieved via FRED (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2024 to 2027 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Ballard County data.
Draft wire copy 125-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
WICKLIFFE, Ky. — Ballard County is more distressed than 62% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Ballard scores 62 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 62% of U.S. counties; its score label is moderate-high county distress. Within Kentucky, Ballard ranks 90th of 120 counties.
The index, which draws on 14 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 Ballard. A bankruptcy filing rate of 237 — above the national median of 126.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ballard County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Ballard County's distress score?
How does Ballard County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Ballard County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →