Bell County, Kentucky
More than double the national median for adults 25-54 not working — and 21.1× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Thomas County, NE — 2%).
Main Findings
Bell County, Kentucky ranks 47th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 42% of adults aged 25 to 54 are not working — more than double the national median of 21%. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor and its lowest is Debt Burden (housing basis).
- 47th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 98 · extreme county distress, more distressed than 98% of U.S. counties; 5th in Kentucky.
- 42% of adults aged 25 to 54 are not working (U.S. median 21%). Adults 25-54 not working at the 99th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Debt in collections at 37% — national median 23%, ranked at the 90th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Credit card delinquency at 9% — national median 5%, ranked at the 91st percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Poverty rate at 32% — national median 13%, ranked at the 99th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024).
Neighbors span two CDI score labels. The 21-point drop to Claiborne County, TN marks a cross-border distress gradient.
Bell County has an extreme county distress score. The five-domain profile shows where local household pressure is most concentrated.
The CDI gives this county an extreme county distress label. The score is the plain-language signal; the national rank separately shows how the county compares with every other county-equivalent in the release. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.
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), Bell County's uninsured rate indicator is at the 23rd percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 97th percentile. The gap stands out against child poverty rate and disability rate. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Pineville.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024), 41% of children under 18 in Bell County live below the federal poverty line, versus 17% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.
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 Bell County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Bell County's value shown alongside KY's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Bell | KY median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 88 · Rank 307 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 6% | 5% | 86th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 9% | 6% | 5% | 91st | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 34% | 28% | 23% | 86th | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 89 · Rank 178 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 37% | 29% | 23% | 90th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 266 | 243 | 126 | 87th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 74 · Rank 593 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 28% | 21% | 21% | 93rd | 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 | 19% | 18% | 18% | 55th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 95 · Rank 13 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) | 42% | 27% | 21% | 99th | 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) | 6% | 5% | 4% | 92nd | 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 83 · Rank 263 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 41% | 22% | 17% | 99th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 25% | 21% | 16% | 97th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 32% | 17% | 13% | 99th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 5% | 6% | 8% | 23rd | 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 Bell County data.
Draft wire copy 140-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
PINEVILLE, Ky. — Bell County ranks 47th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Bell scores 98 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 98% of U.S. counties; its score label is extreme county distress. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, only 46 rank more distressed. Within Kentucky, Bell ranks fifth 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 labor as the primary driver in Bell. 42% of adults aged 25 to 54 are not working — more than double the national median of 21%.
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 Bell County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Bell County's distress score?
How does Bell County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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