Nicholas County, Kentucky
Above the national median of residents with debt in collections — and 19.0× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Logan County, ND — 2%).
Main Findings
Nicholas County, Kentucky is more distressed than 76% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: 36% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections — above the national median of 23%. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal and its lowest is Debt Burden (housing basis).
- 58th of 120 counties in Kentucky on the County Distress Index — 76 · high county distress, more distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
- 36% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections (U.S. median 23%). Debt in collections at the 89th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Adults 25-54 not working at 27% — national median 21%, ranked at the 81st percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Disability rate at 22% — national median 16%, ranked at the 88th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Credit card delinquency at 9% — national median 5%, ranked at the 90th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Nicholas County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position.
The CDI gives this county a high county distress label. The rank belongs beside the score because the two answer different questions: score intensity and national position. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to Urban Institute Debt in America (2025), Nicholas County's auto loan delinquency indicator is at the 5th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Delinquency domain at or above the 82nd percentile. The gap stands out against credit card delinquency. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Carlisle.
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 Nicholas County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Nicholas County's value shown alongside KY's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Nicholas | KY median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 59 · Rank 1,243 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 1% | 6% | 5% | 5th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 9% | 6% | 5% | 90th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 33% | 28% | 23% | 82nd | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 88 · Rank 204 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 36% | 29% | 23% | 89th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 260 | 243 | 126 | 87th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 46 · Rank 1,702 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 19% | 21% | 21% | 35th | 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 | 20% | 18% | 18% | 58th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 71 · Rank 699 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) | 27% | 27% | 21% | 81st | 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) | 4% | 5% | 4% | 61st | 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 64 · Rank 997 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 24% | 22% | 17% | 78th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 22% | 21% | 16% | 88th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 16% | 17% | 13% | 72nd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 4% | 6% | 8% | 5th | 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 Nicholas County data.
Draft wire copy 130-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
CARLISLE, Ky. — Nicholas County is more distressed than 76% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Nicholas scores 76 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 76% of U.S. counties; its score label is high county distress. Within Kentucky, Nicholas ranks 58th 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 Nicholas. 36% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections — above the national median of 23%.
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 Nicholas County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Nicholas County's distress score?
How does Nicholas County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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