McCreary County, Kentucky
More than double the national median for adults 25-54 not working — and 21.3× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Thomas County, NE — 2%).
Main Findings
McCreary County, Kentucky ranks 25th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 43% 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).
- 25th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 99 · extreme county distress, more distressed than 99% of U.S. counties; 2nd in Kentucky.
- 43% of adults aged 25 to 54 are not working (U.S. median 21%). Adults 25-54 not working at the 95th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Credit card delinquency at 11% — national median 5%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Bankruptcy filing rate at 334 — national median 126, ranked at the 93rd percentile. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Child poverty rate at 42% — national median 17%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024).
McCreary 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, SAIPE (2024), 42% of children under 18 in McCreary 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 McCreary County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. McCreary County's value shown alongside KY's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | McCreary | KY median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 92 · Rank 144 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 9% | 6% | 5% | 88th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 11% | 6% | 5% | 95th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 39% | 28% | 23% | 94th | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 89 · Rank 166 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 35% | 29% | 23% | 85th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 334 | 243 | 126 | 93rd | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 79 · Rank 444 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 27% | 21% | 21% | 90th | 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 | 21% | 18% | 18% | 68th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 93 · Rank 80 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) | 43% | 27% | 21% | 95th | 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 86 · Rank 140 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 42% | 22% | 17% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 25% | 21% | 16% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 36% | 17% | 13% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 8% | 6% | 8% | 52nd | 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 McCreary County data.
Draft wire copy 141-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
WHITLEY CITY, Ky. — McCreary County ranks 25th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
McCreary scores 99 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 99% of U.S. counties; its score label is extreme county distress. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, only 24 rank more distressed. Within Kentucky, McCreary ranks second 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 McCreary. 43% 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 McCreary County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives McCreary County's distress score?
How does McCreary County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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