Letcher County, Kentucky
5× the national median for bankruptcy filing rate — and 78.5× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Glacier County, MT — 7).
Main Findings
Letcher County, Kentucky ranks 382nd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: a bankruptcy filing rate of 573 — more than double the national median of 126.
- 382nd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Most distressed fifth, 34th in Kentucky.
- A bankruptcy filing rate of 573 (U.S. median 126). Bankruptcy filing rate at the 99th percentile nationally.
- Transfer-income dependency at 58% — national median 27%, ranked at the 100th percentile.
- Unemployment at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 84th percentile.
- Subprime credit share at 34% — national median 23%, ranked at the 85th percentile.
Neighbors all sit in the same CDI distress fifth. The 17-point drop to Wise County shows the score gradient within that fifth.
"Letcher County ranks in the most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The five-domain profile shows where local household pressure is most concentrated."
"The CDI places this county in the most distressed fifth nationally. The rank is the important geography signal: it compares the county with every other county-equivalent in the release."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
Letcher County's uninsured rate indicator is at the 6th percentile — while every other indicator in the safety_net_buffer domain sits at or above the 89th percentile. The gap stands out against child poverty rate and disability rate. Worth a call to Urban Institute or a local credit counselor in Whitesburg.
29% of children under 18 in Letcher County live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% 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.
The Indicators Behind Letcher County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Letcher County's value shown alongside KY's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Letcher | KY median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 51 · Rank 1,506 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 6% | 5% | 38th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 6% | 5% | 32nd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 34% | 28% | 23% | 85th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 89 · Rank 162 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 32% | 29% | 23% | 79th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 573 | 243 | 126 | 99th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 51 · Rank 1,492 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 25% | 20% | 21% | 79th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 13% | 18% | 18% | 23rd | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 84 · Rank 497 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 5% | 4% | 4% | 84th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 84 · Rank 247 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 29% | 22% | 18% | 89th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 30% | 21% | 16% | 99th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 24% | 17% | 14% | 94th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 58% | 34% | 27% | 100th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 4% | 6% | 8% | 6th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
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 is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. 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 CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Letcher County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 147-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
WHITESBURG, Ky. — Letcher County ranks 382nd among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 72 out of 100 places Letcher in the most distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 381 counties rank more distressed. Within Kentucky, Letcher ranks 34th of 120 counties.
The index, which draws on 16 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 Letcher. A bankruptcy filing rate of 573 — more than double the national median of 126.
"Letcher County ranks in the most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The five-domain profile shows where local household pressure is most concentrated," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Letcher County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Letcher County's distress score?
How does Letcher County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Letcher County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →