Rowan County, Kentucky
Above the national median of residents with debt in collections — and 17.8× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Logan County, ND — 2%).
Main Findings
Rowan County, Kentucky is more distressed than 82% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: 34% 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).
- 42nd of 120 counties in Kentucky on the County Distress Index — 82 · very high county distress, more distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
- 34% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections (U.S. median 23%). Debt in collections at the 84th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Auto loan delinquency at 8% — national median 5%, ranked at the 81st percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Poverty rate at 21% — national median 13%, ranked at the 90th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024).
- Unemployment (average of monthly rates) at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 85th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025).
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 17-point drop to Fleming County marks where the Kentucky distress corridor ends.
Rowan County has a very high county distress score. The domain table shows which local pressure carries the composite.
The CDI gives this county a very high county distress label. The five-domain profile shows which local pressures carry the score. 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), Rowan County's uninsured rate indicator is at the 33rd percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 81st percentile. The gap stands out against poverty rate. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Morehead.
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 Rowan County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Rowan County's value shown alongside KY's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Rowan | KY median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 75 · Rank 678 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 6% | 5% | 81st | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 6% | 5% | 70th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 30% | 28% | 23% | 75th | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 76 · Rank 554 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 34% | 29% | 23% | 84th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 172 | 243 | 126 | 68th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 55 · Rank 1,296 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 21% | 21% | 21% | 56th | 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% | 53rd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 66 · Rank 922 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) | 20% | 27% | 21% | 47th | 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% | 85th | 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 73 · Rank 665 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 24% | 22% | 17% | 81st | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 20% | 21% | 16% | 81st | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 21% | 17% | 13% | 90th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 6% | 6% | 8% | 33rd | 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 Rowan County data.
Draft wire copy 131-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
MOREHEAD, Ky. — Rowan County is more distressed than 82% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Rowan scores 82 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 82% of U.S. counties; its score label is very high county distress. Within Kentucky, Rowan ranks 42nd 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 Rowan. 34% 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 Rowan County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Rowan County's distress score?
How does Rowan County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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