Counties in Kentucky by adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate

Wolfe County had the highest adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate of 120 counties in 2021, at 33.9%. Oldham County had the lowest, at 13.8%. The median was 23.4%. Source: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Highest33.9Wolfe County
Lowest13.8Oldham County
Median23.4120 counties

Map of counties, 2021

Adair County: 21.8 %Allen County: 23.2 %Anderson County: 19.5 %Ballard County: 21.6 %Barren County: 24.1 %Bath County: 24.8 %Bell County: 30 %Boone County: 16 %Bourbon County: 20.6 %Boyd County: 21.8 %Boyle County: 19 %Bracken County: 24.1 %Breathitt County: 27.7 %Breckinridge County: 24.2 %Bullitt County: 19.9 %Butler County: 24.2 %Caldwell County: 21.8 %Calloway County: 18.6 %Campbell County: 16.3 %Carlisle County: 24.6 %Carroll County: 25.3 %Carter County: 25.9 %Casey County: 28.1 %Christian County: 21.4 %Clark County: 20.3 %Clay County: 31.8 %Clinton County: 26.9 %Crittenden County: 23 %Cumberland County: 26.1 %Daviess County: 20.4 %Edmonson County: 24.3 %Elliott County: 27.6 %Estill County: 28.5 %Fayette County: 15 %Fleming County: 23.6 %Floyd County: 27 %Franklin County: 18.1 %Fulton County: 25.3 %Gallatin County: 24.7 %Garrard County: 21.5 %Grant County: 21.8 %Graves County: 22.4 %Grayson County: 26.1 %Green County: 25.8 %Greenup County: 20.5 %Hancock County: 21.9 %Hardin County: 20.3 %Harlan County: 31.2 %Harrison County: 21.9 %Hart County: 26.4 %Henderson County: 21.4 %Henry County: 23.5 %Hickman County: 21.8 %Hopkins County: 22.9 %Jackson County: 30.9 %Jefferson County: 17.8 %Jessamine County: 18.4 %Johnson County: 26.3 %Kenton County: 17.6 %Knott County: 28.1 %Knox County: 29 %Larue County: 22.6 %Laurel County: 24.5 %Lawrence County: 28.3 %Lee County: 31.8 %Leslie County: 28.6 %Letcher County: 28 %Lewis County: 30.8 %Lincoln County: 25.1 %Livingston County: 21.9 %Logan County: 22.1 %Lyon County: 21.2 %McCracken County: 20.5 %McCreary County: 31.4 %McLean County: 19.5 %Madison County: 18.3 %Magoffin County: 30.3 %Marion County: 23.4 %Marshall County: 18.7 %Martin County: 26.8 %Mason County: 21.9 %Meade County: 21.2 %Menifee County: 27 %Mercer County: 19.9 %Metcalfe County: 24.4 %Monroe County: 25.6 %Montgomery County: 23.8 %Morgan County: 27.1 %Muhlenberg County: 23 %Nelson County: 18.5 %Nicholas County: 25.9 %Ohio County: 23.3 %Oldham County: 13.8 %Owen County: 22.2 %Owsley County: 28.6 %Pendleton County: 23.4 %Perry County: 26.4 %Pike County: 26.5 %Powell County: 24.3 %Pulaski County: 23.6 %Robertson County: 23.5 %Rockcastle County: 26.2 %Rowan County: 21.2 %Russell County: 24.4 %Scott County: 17.5 %Shelby County: 17.8 %Simpson County: 20.6 %Spencer County: 18.2 %Taylor County: 20.3 %Todd County: 24.1 %Trigg County: 20.2 %Trimble County: 22.1 %Union County: 21.9 %Warren County: 19.2 %Washington County: 20.1 %Wayne County: 25.6 %Webster County: 24.3 %Whitley County: 24.5 %Wolfe County: 33.9 %Woodford County: 15.2 %
  • Under 20
  • 20 to 22
  • 22 to 23
  • 23 to 25
  • 25 to 27
  • 27 and over
%, 2021. Source: CDC, PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2021

Wolfe County: 33.9 %Wolfe County33.9Clay County: 31.8 %Clay County31.8Lee County: 31.8 %Lee County31.8McCreary County: 31.4 %McCreary County31.4Harlan County: 31.2 %Harlan County31.2Jackson County: 30.9 %Jackson County30.9Lewis County: 30.8 %Lewis County30.8Magoffin County: 30.3 %Magoffin County30.3Bell County: 30 %Bell County30Knox County: 29 %Knox County29Leslie County: 28.6 %Leslie County28.6Owsley County: 28.6 %Owsley County28.6Estill County: 28.5 %Estill County28.5Lawrence County: 28.3 %Lawrence County28.3Casey County: 28.1 %Casey County28.1Knott County: 28.1 %Knott County28.1Letcher County: 28 %Letcher County28Breathitt County: 27.7 %Breathitt County27.7Elliott County: 27.6 %Elliott County27.6Morgan County: 27.1 %Morgan County27.1Floyd County: 27 %Floyd County27Menifee County: 27 %Menifee County27Clinton County: 26.9 %Clinton County26.9Martin County: 26.8 %Martin County26.8Pike County: 26.5 %Pike County26.5Hart County: 26.4 %Hart County26.4Perry County: 26.4 %Perry County26.4Johnson County: 26.3 %Johnson County26.3Rockcastle County: 26.2 %Rockcastle County26.2Cumberland County: 26.1 %Cumberland County26.1Grayson County: 26.1 %Grayson County26.1Carter County: 25.9 %Carter County25.9Nicholas County: 25.9 %Nicholas County25.9Green County: 25.8 %Green County25.8Monroe County: 25.6 %Monroe County25.6Wayne County: 25.6 %Wayne County25.6Carroll County: 25.3 %Carroll County25.3Fulton County: 25.3 %Fulton County25.3Lincoln County: 25.1 %Lincoln County25.1Bath County: 24.8 %Bath County24.8Wolfe County: 33.9 %Wolfe County33.9Clay County: 31.8 %Clay County31.8Lee County: 31.8 %Lee County31.8McCreary County: 31.4 %McCreary County31.4Harlan County: 31.2 %Harlan County31.2Jackson County: 30.9 %Jackson County30.9Lewis County: 30.8 %Lewis County30.8Magoffin County: 30.3 %Magoffin County30.3Bell County: 30 %Bell County30Knox County: 29 %Knox County29Leslie County: 28.6 %Leslie County28.6Owsley County: 28.6 %Owsley County28.6Estill County: 28.5 %Estill County28.5Lawrence County: 28.3 %Lawrence County28.3Casey County: 28.1 %Casey County28.1Knott County: 28.1 %Knott County28.1Letcher County: 28 %Letcher County28Breathitt County: 27.7 %Breathitt County27.7Elliott County: 27.6 %Elliott County27.6Morgan County: 27.1 %Morgan County27.1Floyd County: 27 %Floyd County27Menifee County: 27 %Menifee County27Clinton County: 26.9 %Clinton County26.9Martin County: 26.8 %Martin County26.8Pike County: 26.5 %Pike County26.5Hart County: 26.4 %Hart County26.4Perry County: 26.4 %Perry County26.4Johnson County: 26.3 %Johnson County26.3Rockcastle County: 26.2 %Rockcastle County26.2Cumberland County: 26.1 %Cumberland County26.1Grayson County: 26.1 %Grayson County26.1Carter County: 25.9 %Carter County25.9Nicholas County: 25.9 %Nicholas County25.9Green County: 25.8 %Green County25.8Monroe County: 25.6 %Monroe County25.6Wayne County: 25.6 %Wayne County25.6Carroll County: 25.3 %Carroll County25.3Fulton County: 25.3 %Fulton County25.3Lincoln County: 25.1 %Lincoln County25.1Bath County: 24.8 %Bath County24.8
%. Source: CDC, PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021 (%)
1Wolfe County33.9
2Clay County31.8
2Lee County31.8
4McCreary County31.4
5Harlan County31.2
6Jackson County30.9
7Lewis County30.8
8Magoffin County30.3
9Bell County30
10Knox County29
11Leslie County28.6
11Owsley County28.6
13Estill County28.5
14Lawrence County28.3
15Casey County28.1
15Knott County28.1
17Letcher County28
18Breathitt County27.7
19Elliott County27.6
20Morgan County27.1
21Floyd County27
21Menifee County27
23Clinton County26.9
24Martin County26.8
25Pike County26.5
26Hart County26.4
26Perry County26.4
28Johnson County26.3
29Rockcastle County26.2
30Cumberland County26.1
30Grayson County26.1
32Carter County25.9
32Nicholas County25.9
34Green County25.8
35Monroe County25.6
35Wayne County25.6
37Carroll County25.3
37Fulton County25.3
39Lincoln County25.1
40Bath County24.8
41Gallatin County24.7
42Carlisle County24.6
43Laurel County24.5
43Whitley County24.5
45Metcalfe County24.4
45Russell County24.4
47Edmonson County24.3
47Powell County24.3
47Webster County24.3
50Breckinridge County24.2
50Butler County24.2
52Barren County24.1
52Bracken County24.1
52Todd County24.1
55Montgomery County23.8
56Fleming County23.6
56Pulaski County23.6
58Henry County23.5
58Robertson County23.5
60Marion County23.4
60Pendleton County23.4
62Ohio County23.3
63Allen County23.2
64Crittenden County23
64Muhlenberg County23
66Hopkins County22.9
67Larue County22.6
68Graves County22.4
69Owen County22.2
70Logan County22.1
70Trimble County22.1
72Hancock County21.9
72Harrison County21.9
72Livingston County21.9
72Mason County21.9
72Union County21.9
77Adair County21.8
77Boyd County21.8
77Caldwell County21.8
77Grant County21.8
77Hickman County21.8
82Ballard County21.6
83Garrard County21.5
84Christian County21.4
84Henderson County21.4
86Lyon County21.2
86Meade County21.2
86Rowan County21.2
89Bourbon County20.6
89Simpson County20.6
91Greenup County20.5
91McCracken County20.5
93Daviess County20.4
94Clark County20.3
94Hardin County20.3
94Taylor County20.3
97Trigg County20.2
98Washington County20.1
99Bullitt County19.9
99Mercer County19.9
101Anderson County19.5
101McLean County19.5
103Warren County19.2
104Boyle County19
105Marshall County18.7
106Calloway County18.6
107Nelson County18.5
108Jessamine County18.4
109Madison County18.3
110Spencer County18.2
111Franklin County18.1
112Jefferson County17.8
112Shelby County17.8
114Kenton County17.6
115Scott County17.5
116Campbell County16.3
117Boone County16
118Woodford County15.2
119Fayette County15
120Oldham County13.8

Other periods

About this ranking

Percentage of adults who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and now smoke every day or on some days. Model-based estimate for adults aged 18 and over from CDC PLACES. Crude prevalence, not age-adjusted.

US counties and cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). CDC PLACES combines Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) answers with local population data through multilevel regression and poststratification, so a county or city value is a model estimate, not a survey count. The year is the BRFSS survey year, not the release year. CDC says the method does not support tracking change in a place over time, and each annual release can change the model, so values for different years are not strictly comparable. A state is missing in a year when its BRFSS data did not meet standards (Kentucky and Pennsylvania in 2023, Florida in 2021). Connecticut counties appear as its nine planning regions from 2022; its eight former counties are not served. City values for 2021 come from the 2023 release, built on 2010 Census place boundaries; later years use 2020 boundaries. State and national values come from direct BRFSS estimates under adult_smoking_rate.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence. https://www.cdc.gov/places/. Retrieved 2026-10-12. These data are available free from CDC. Use does not imply endorsement by CDC, ATSDR, HHS or the United States Government.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence (Counties in Kentucky by adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.cdc.gov/places/

MLA 9

PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence, Counties in Kentucky by adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate, 2021. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 Dec. 2025, https://www.cdc.gov/places/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-smoking-rate-county-estimate/kentucky-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2025. PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence. Counties in Kentucky by adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/places/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-smoking-rate-county-estimate/kentucky-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2025) PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence, Counties in Kentucky by adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/places/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-smoking-rate-county-estimate/kentucky-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{centers_counties_in_kentucky_by_2021,
  author = {{Centers for Disease Control and Prevention}},
  title = {{PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence: Counties in Kentucky by adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate, 2021}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.cdc.gov/places/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-smoking-rate-county-estimate/kentucky-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence. https://www.cdc.gov/places/. Retrieved 2026-10-12. These data are available free from CDC. Use does not imply endorsement by CDC, ATSDR, HHS or the United States Government.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
TI  - PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence: Counties in Kentucky by adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate, 2021
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/04
PB  - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.cdc.gov/places/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-smoking-rate-county-estimate/kentucky-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-smoking-rate-county-estimate/kentucky-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence. https://www.cdc.gov/places/. Retrieved 2026-10-12. These data are available free from CDC. Use does not imply endorsement by CDC, ATSDR, HHS or the United States Government.
ER  - 
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Rank Counties in Kentucky by adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate?

Wolfe County, with 33.9% in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Which county has the lowest adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate?

Oldham County, with 13.8% in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data (swc5-untb, fu4u-a9bh, h3ej-a9ec and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate: other rankings

Counties in Kentucky: more rankings