Counties in Kentucky by average annual temperature

Ballard County had the highest average annual temperature of 120 counties in 2021, at 59.3 °F. Harlan County had the lowest, at 54.8 °F. The median was 56.6 °F and the figure for Kentucky was 57 °F. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Highest59.3Ballard County

Lowest54.8Harlan County

Median56.6120 counties

Kentucky57History

Top 40 counties, 2021

°F. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	Counties	2021 °F	Change on 2020
1	Ballard County	59.3	+0.5%
1	Carlisle County	59.3	+0.5%
3	Fulton County	59.1	0%
3	McCracken County	59.1	+0.2%
5	Hickman County	59	+0.2%
5	Muhlenberg County	59	+1.2%
7	Graves County	58.9	+0.3%
7	Marshall County	58.9	+0.3%
7	Warren County	58.9	+0.2%
10	Calloway County	58.8	+0.3%
11	Butler County	58.7	+0.9%
11	Hopkins County	58.7	+0.3%
11	Logan County	58.7	+0.5%
11	Simpson County	58.7	+0.2%
11	Todd County	58.7	+0.2%
16	Christian County	58.6	-0.3%
16	Trigg County	58.6	-0.2%
18	Allen County	58.5	+0.2%
18	McLean County	58.5	+0.7%
20	Cumberland County	58.3	-0.9%
20	Edmonson County	58.3	+0.2%
22	Barren County	58.2	+0.2%
22	Livingston County	58.2	+0.2%
24	Lyon County	58.1	-0.2%
24	Ohio County	58.1	+1%
24	Webster County	58.1	+0.3%
27	Monroe County	57.9	0%
28	Caldwell County	57.8	-0.2%
28	Clinton County	57.8	-1.2%
28	Hart County	57.8	+0.2%
31	Crittenden County	57.7	0%
31	Green County	57.7	-0.3%
33	Henderson County	57.6	+0.3%
34	Bullitt County	57.5	+0.5%
34	Grayson County	57.5	+0.5%
34	Jefferson County	57.5	+0.2%
34	Metcalfe County	57.5	-0.3%
38	Adair County	57.4	-1.2%
38	Daviess County	57.4	+0.5%
38	Union County	57.4	-0.2%
41	Russell County	57.3	-1.4%
42	Breathitt County	57.2	-0.5%
43	Owsley County	57.1	-0.7%
43	Wayne County	57.1	-1.4%
45	Floyd County	57	-0.9%
45	Hardin County	57	+0.5%
45	Nelson County	57	+0.2%
45	Taylor County	57	-0.5%
49	Larue County	56.9	0%
49	Lee County	56.9	-0.5%
51	Clay County	56.8	-0.7%
51	Perry County	56.8	-0.4%
51	Spencer County	56.8	0%
54	Marion County	56.7	-0.4%
54	Martin County	56.7	-1%
56	Breckinridge County	56.6	+0.5%
56	Estill County	56.6	-0.7%
56	Franklin County	56.6	-0.7%
56	Magoffin County	56.6	-0.5%
56	Pike County	56.6	-1%
56	Pulaski County	56.6	-1.2%
62	Carroll County	56.5	-0.5%
62	Johnson County	56.5	-0.7%
62	Laurel County	56.5	-0.9%
62	Leslie County	56.5	0%
62	Meade County	56.5	+0.5%
62	Oldham County	56.5	0%
62	Washington County	56.5	-0.2%
62	Wolfe County	56.5	0%
70	Anderson County	56.4	-0.5%
70	Gallatin County	56.4	-0.5%
70	Knox County	56.4	-0.9%
70	McCreary County	56.4	-1.2%
70	Shelby County	56.4	0%
70	Whitley County	56.4	-1.1%
76	Casey County	56.3	-0.9%
76	Hancock County	56.3	+0.4%
76	Henry County	56.3	-0.5%
76	Knott County	56.3	-0.9%
76	Powell County	56.3	-0.4%
81	Lawrence County	56.2	-0.7%
81	Madison County	56.2	-1.1%
81	Mercer County	56.2	-0.7%
81	Owen County	56.2	-0.7%
81	Trimble County	56.2	-0.4%
86	Boyd County	56.1	-0.5%
86	Garrard County	56.1	-1.1%
86	Woodford County	56.1	-1.1%
89	Boyle County	56	-0.5%
89	Morgan County	56	-0.2%
91	Grant County	55.9	-0.5%
91	Jackson County	55.9	-1.1%
91	Jessamine County	55.9	-1.2%
91	Rockcastle County	55.9	-1.2%
95	Boone County	55.8	-0.2%
95	Campbell County	55.8	-0.2%
95	Clark County	55.8	-0.9%
95	Lincoln County	55.8	-1.1%
95	Scott County	55.8	-1.1%
100	Kenton County	55.7	-0.2%
100	Menifee County	55.7	0%
100	Montgomery County	55.7	-0.5%
100	Pendleton County	55.7	-0.7%
104	Bath County	55.6	-0.2%
104	Harrison County	55.6	-0.9%
106	Bourbon County	55.5	-0.9%
106	Fayette County	55.5	-1.4%
108	Elliott County	55.4	-0.4%
108	Greenup County	55.4	-0.7%
108	Nicholas County	55.4	-0.5%
111	Carter County	55.3	-0.4%
111	Robertson County	55.3	-0.7%
113	Bell County	55.2	-0.5%
113	Bracken County	55.2	-0.7%
113	Letcher County	55.2	-0.7%
116	Fleming County	55.1	-0.4%
117	Rowan County	55	0%
118	Lewis County	54.9	-0.5%
118	Mason County	54.9	-0.7%
120	Harlan County	54.8	+0.6%

Other periods

About this ranking

Mean air temperature from January to December, in degrees Fahrenheit: the average of the 12 monthly mean temperatures. NOAA computes it from its climate divisional dataset (nClimDiv): station readings interpolated onto a 5 km grid and averaged over the area.

Values are area averages, so a county with mountains and valleys has one value for very different local climates. NOAA revises the last two years every month.

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

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. (2026). NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties (Counties in Kentucky by average annual temperature, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping

MLA 9

NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties, Counties in Kentucky by average annual temperature, 2021. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 6 Oct. 2026, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/kentucky-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. 2026. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Counties in Kentucky by average annual temperature, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/kentucky-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (2026) NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties, Counties in Kentucky by average annual temperature, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/kentucky-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{noaa_counties_in_kentucky_by_2021,
  author = {{NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information}},
  title = {{NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties: Counties in Kentucky by average annual temperature, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/kentucky-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
TI  - NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties: Counties in Kentucky by average annual temperature, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/06
PB  - NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/kentucky-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/kentucky-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

Which county has the highest average annual temperature?

Ballard County, with 59.3 °F in 2021, according to NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Which county has the lowest average annual temperature?

Harlan County, with 54.8 °F in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.