Data / Rankings / Child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure) / Counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2024

McCreary County had the highest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure) of 120 counties in 2024, at 41.5%. Oldham County had the lowest, at 5.2%. The median was 22.3% and the figure for Kentucky was 18.9%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest41.5McCreary County
Lowest5.2Oldham County
Median22.3120 counties
Kentucky18.9History

Top 40 counties, 2024

McCreary County: 41.5 %McCreary County41.5Bell County: 40.6 %Bell County40.6Clay County: 40.6 %Clay County40.6Owsley County: 40.6 %Owsley County40.6Harlan County: 38.2 %Harlan County38.2Wolfe County: 37.8 %Wolfe County37.8Breathitt County: 37.6 %Breathitt County37.6Magoffin County: 36.8 %Magoffin County36.8Bath County: 35.7 %Bath County35.7Martin County: 35.7 %Martin County35.7Lee County: 35.6 %Lee County35.6Fulton County: 34.6 %Fulton County34.6Floyd County: 33.6 %Floyd County33.6Wayne County: 33.3 %Wayne County33.3Knox County: 32.9 %Knox County32.9Leslie County: 32.9 %Leslie County32.9Knott County: 32.4 %Knott County32.4Whitley County: 31.3 %Whitley County31.3Metcalfe County: 30.7 %Metcalfe County30.7Clinton County: 30.4 %Clinton County30.4Menifee County: 30.3 %Menifee County30.3Grayson County: 29.9 %Grayson County29.9Jackson County: 29.6 %Jackson County29.6Cumberland County: 29.1 %Cumberland County29.1Lewis County: 28.9 %Lewis County28.9Morgan County: 28.9 %Morgan County28.9Adair County: 28.6 %Adair County28.6Elliott County: 28.5 %Elliott County28.5Perry County: 28.4 %Perry County28.4Lawrence County: 27.9 %Lawrence County27.9Hickman County: 27.8 %Hickman County27.8Letcher County: 27.5 %Letcher County27.5Powell County: 26.4 %Powell County26.4Logan County: 26.3 %Logan County26.3Rockcastle County: 26.3 %Rockcastle County26.3Monroe County: 25.9 %Monroe County25.9Crittenden County: 25.5 %Crittenden County25.5Johnson County: 25.3 %Johnson County25.3Casey County: 25 %Casey County25Rowan County: 24.5 %Rowan County24.5
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2024 (%)Change on 2023
1McCreary County41.5-0.2 pts
2Bell County40.6+2.2 pts
2Clay County40.6-13 pts
2Owsley County40.6-1.4 pts
5Harlan County38.2+3.1 pts
6Wolfe County37.8-1.7 pts
7Breathitt County37.6+0.3 pts
8Magoffin County36.8+2 pts
9Bath County35.7+9.1 pts
9Martin County35.7-17.5 pts
11Lee County35.6-0.9 pts
12Fulton County34.6-0.6 pts
13Floyd County33.6+3 pts
14Wayne County33.3-2.4 pts
15Knox County32.9-10.4 pts
15Leslie County32.9+2.3 pts
17Knott County32.4+0.8 pts
18Whitley County31.3-2 pts
19Metcalfe County30.7-5.9 pts
20Clinton County30.4-2.9 pts
21Menifee County30.3-5.6 pts
22Grayson County29.9+6.1 pts
23Jackson County29.6+1.2 pts
24Cumberland County29.1-2.9 pts
25Lewis County28.9-0.5 pts
25Morgan County28.9+1.5 pts
27Adair County28.6+0.8 pts
28Elliott County28.5+0.1 pts
29Perry County28.4-8.6 pts
30Lawrence County27.9+3 pts
31Hickman County27.8+0.6 pts
32Letcher County27.5-1.4 pts
33Powell County26.4-2 pts
34Logan County26.3+8.8 pts
34Rockcastle County26.3+0.3 pts
36Monroe County25.9-3.7 pts
37Crittenden County25.5-1.1 pts
38Johnson County25.3-3 pts
39Casey County25-2.6 pts
40Rowan County24.5+1.3 pts
41Carter County24.40 pts
42Graves County24.3+0.4 pts
43Breckinridge County24.2+2.1 pts
43Russell County24.2-0.9 pts
45Green County24.1+0.7 pts
45Hopkins County24.1+4.8 pts
47Estill County23.8-2.4 pts
48Nicholas County23.7-1.7 pts
49Laurel County23.4-4.3 pts
49Robertson County23.4-4.9 pts
51Carroll County23.2+0.7 pts
52Ballard County23+0.6 pts
52Pulaski County23+0.6 pts
54Fleming County22.9+1 pts
55Boyd County22.8-0.2 pts
56Pike County22.7-5 pts
57Hart County22.5+0.5 pts
57Todd County22.5-0.2 pts
59Butler County22.3+3.1 pts
59Caldwell County22.3+0.7 pts
59Christian County22.3-0.9 pts
62Barren County22.1-0.5 pts
63Muhlenberg County21.9-3.5 pts
64Henderson County21.7+4.4 pts
65Taylor County21.5-1.3 pts
65Trigg County21.5+1.6 pts
67Mason County21.4+0.5 pts
68Harrison County21.2+4.4 pts
68Simpson County21.2+3.2 pts
70Lincoln County21.1-1.8 pts
71Marion County20.5+3.2 pts
72Bracken County20.2+0.7 pts
72McLean County20.2+2.8 pts
74Greenup County19.8+2.6 pts
75Union County19.7-0.2 pts
76Allen County19.5-2 pts
76Bourbon County19.5+1.1 pts
78Carlisle County19.2+0.7 pts
78Webster County19.20 pts
80Henry County19.1+0.3 pts
81Jefferson County19-2.6 pts
82Garrard County18.5-5.7 pts
82Ohio County18.5-1.3 pts
82Pendleton County18.5+1 pts
85Edmonson County18.1-3.7 pts
86Lyon County18+0.1 pts
87Grant County17.90 pts
87Madison County17.9+1.4 pts
87McCracken County17.9-3.3 pts
90Montgomery County17.7-0.8 pts
91Larue County17.6-4.3 pts
91Warren County17.6+2.9 pts
93Livingston County17.4-5.3 pts
94Gallatin County17.3-0.9 pts
95Clark County17.2+0.9 pts
95Washington County17.2+0.7 pts
97Trimble County16.5-0.3 pts
98Calloway County16.3-3.2 pts
99Boyle County16-2.2 pts
99Mercer County16-1.6 pts
99Owen County16-2.9 pts
102Hancock County15.9+2.3 pts
103Jessamine County15.8+2.1 pts
104Daviess County15.6-5.5 pts
105Nelson County14.9-1.3 pts
106Hardin County14.7-2.9 pts
107Marshall County14-3.3 pts
108Franklin County13.8-1.5 pts
109Fayette County13.7-4.5 pts
110Anderson County12.5+0.3 pts
111Campbell County12.2+0.3 pts
112Kenton County11.5-2.3 pts
113Shelby County11.4-2.1 pts
114Woodford County11.2-1.5 pts
115Bullitt County10.7+0.1 pts
116Scott County10.6-2 pts
117Meade County10.5-3.4 pts
118Boone County8.8+0.3 pts
119Spencer County8.5+0.6 pts
120Oldham County5.2+0.2 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People under 18 in families or living alone with income below the official US poverty thresholds, as a percentage of people under 18 whose poverty status can be determined. United States: Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) for the nation, states and counties.

A model-based single-year estimate; the national figure is the one-year American Community Survey estimate. The Census Bureau advises comparing years from 2006 on only. Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_poverty_rate. The rate for all ages is poverty_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

U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2024/2024-state-and-county/est24all.txt. 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

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties (Counties in Kentucky by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2024/2024-state-and-county/est24all.txt

MLA 9

Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties, Counties in Kentucky by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 27 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2024/2024-state-and-county/est24all.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/kentucky-counties. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Counties in Kentucky by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2024/2024-state-and-county/est24all.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/kentucky-counties.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties, Counties in Kentucky by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2024/2024-state-and-county/est24all.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/kentucky-counties (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_kentucky_by_2024,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties: Counties in Kentucky by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2024/2024-state-and-county/est24all.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/kentucky-counties. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2024/2024-state-and-county/est24all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties: Counties in Kentucky by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/27
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2024/2024-state-and-county/est24all.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/kentucky-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/kentucky-counties.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2024/2024-state-and-county/est24all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure)?

McCreary County, with 41.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure)?

Oldham County, with 5.2% in 2024.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure): other rankings

Counties in Kentucky: more rankings