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)

Owsley County had the highest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure) of 120 counties in 2015, at 61.6%. Oldham County had the lowest, at 6.7%. The median was 28.7% and the figure for Kentucky was 25.3%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest61.6Owsley County
Lowest6.7Oldham County
Median28.7120 counties
Kentucky25.3History

Map of counties, 2015

Adair County: 41 %Allen County: 30.2 %Anderson County: 16.8 %Ballard County: 24.5 %Barren County: 28.7 %Bath County: 37.8 %Bell County: 56.8 %Boone County: 10.5 %Bourbon County: 24.4 %Boyd County: 29.4 %Boyle County: 24.9 %Bracken County: 24.7 %Breathitt County: 42.9 %Breckinridge County: 25.6 %Bullitt County: 14.5 %Butler County: 31.3 %Caldwell County: 29.4 %Calloway County: 24.1 %Campbell County: 17.8 %Carlisle County: 25.2 %Carroll County: 28.7 %Carter County: 29.4 %Casey County: 38.2 %Christian County: 28.9 %Clark County: 23.9 %Clay County: 53 %Clinton County: 39.6 %Crittenden County: 31.3 %Cumberland County: 36.2 %Daviess County: 20.9 %Edmonson County: 28.6 %Elliott County: 40.3 %Estill County: 38.8 %Fayette County: 22.6 %Fleming County: 31.8 %Floyd County: 43.1 %Franklin County: 22.5 %Fulton County: 47.6 %Gallatin County: 23.8 %Garrard County: 24.3 %Grant County: 27 %Graves County: 27.4 %Grayson County: 32.5 %Green County: 29.1 %Greenup County: 23.5 %Hancock County: 20 %Hardin County: 21.6 %Harlan County: 47.7 %Harrison County: 24.4 %Hart County: 31.1 %Henderson County: 24.2 %Henry County: 26.5 %Hickman County: 29.9 %Hopkins County: 26.6 %Jackson County: 41 %Jefferson County: 22.4 %Jessamine County: 23.8 %Johnson County: 34.4 %Kenton County: 18.2 %Knott County: 46.4 %Knox County: 45.2 %Larue County: 27.7 %Laurel County: 33.1 %Lawrence County: 34.3 %Lee County: 50.2 %Leslie County: 39.4 %Letcher County: 41.9 %Lewis County: 35.6 %Lincoln County: 31.4 %Livingston County: 25 %Logan County: 24.3 %Lyon County: 22.4 %McCracken County: 24.6 %McCreary County: 51.9 %McLean County: 26 %Madison County: 20.1 %Magoffin County: 45.1 %Marion County: 27.6 %Marshall County: 19.5 %Martin County: 45.3 %Mason County: 29.3 %Meade County: 20.3 %Menifee County: 43.5 %Mercer County: 21.9 %Metcalfe County: 38.4 %Monroe County: 37.8 %Montgomery County: 29.9 %Morgan County: 40.9 %Muhlenberg County: 26.2 %Nelson County: 18.8 %Nicholas County: 34.3 %Ohio County: 27.5 %Oldham County: 6.7 %Owen County: 25.4 %Owsley County: 61.6 %Pendleton County: 23.5 %Perry County: 37.2 %Pike County: 32 %Powell County: 39.3 %Pulaski County: 31.7 %Robertson County: 36.7 %Rockcastle County: 32.4 %Rowan County: 32.4 %Russell County: 35.8 %Scott County: 18.1 %Shelby County: 17.1 %Simpson County: 26.2 %Spencer County: 11.9 %Taylor County: 33.8 %Todd County: 28.1 %Trigg County: 26.5 %Trimble County: 22.3 %Union County: 20.7 %Warren County: 22.9 %Washington County: 23.6 %Wayne County: 40.3 %Webster County: 24.9 %Whitley County: 38.9 %Wolfe County: 50.4 %Woodford County: 17 %
  • Under 22
  • 22 to 25
  • 25 to 29
  • 29 to 33
  • 33 to 40
  • 40 and over
%, 2015. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2015

Owsley County: 61.6 %Owsley County61.6Bell County: 56.8 %Bell County56.8Clay County: 53 %Clay County53McCreary County: 51.9 %McCreary County51.9Wolfe County: 50.4 %Wolfe County50.4Lee County: 50.2 %Lee County50.2Harlan County: 47.7 %Harlan County47.7Fulton County: 47.6 %Fulton County47.6Knott County: 46.4 %Knott County46.4Martin County: 45.3 %Martin County45.3Knox County: 45.2 %Knox County45.2Magoffin County: 45.1 %Magoffin County45.1Menifee County: 43.5 %Menifee County43.5Floyd County: 43.1 %Floyd County43.1Breathitt County: 42.9 %Breathitt County42.9Letcher County: 41.9 %Letcher County41.9Adair County: 41 %Adair County41Jackson County: 41 %Jackson County41Morgan County: 40.9 %Morgan County40.9Elliott County: 40.3 %Elliott County40.3Wayne County: 40.3 %Wayne County40.3Clinton County: 39.6 %Clinton County39.6Leslie County: 39.4 %Leslie County39.4Powell County: 39.3 %Powell County39.3Whitley County: 38.9 %Whitley County38.9Estill County: 38.8 %Estill County38.8Metcalfe County: 38.4 %Metcalfe County38.4Casey County: 38.2 %Casey County38.2Bath County: 37.8 %Bath County37.8Monroe County: 37.8 %Monroe County37.8Perry County: 37.2 %Perry County37.2Robertson County: 36.7 %Robertson County36.7Cumberland County: 36.2 %Cumberland County36.2Russell County: 35.8 %Russell County35.8Lewis County: 35.6 %Lewis County35.6Johnson County: 34.4 %Johnson County34.4Lawrence County: 34.3 %Lawrence County34.3Nicholas County: 34.3 %Nicholas County34.3Taylor County: 33.8 %Taylor County33.8Laurel County: 33.1 %Laurel County33.1Owsley County: 61.6 %Owsley County61.6Bell County: 56.8 %Bell County56.8Clay County: 53 %Clay County53McCreary County: 51.9 %McCreary County51.9Wolfe County: 50.4 %Wolfe County50.4Lee County: 50.2 %Lee County50.2Harlan County: 47.7 %Harlan County47.7Fulton County: 47.6 %Fulton County47.6Knott County: 46.4 %Knott County46.4Martin County: 45.3 %Martin County45.3Knox County: 45.2 %Knox County45.2Magoffin County: 45.1 %Magoffin County45.1Menifee County: 43.5 %Menifee County43.5Floyd County: 43.1 %Floyd County43.1Breathitt County: 42.9 %Breathitt County42.9Letcher County: 41.9 %Letcher County41.9Adair County: 41 %Adair County41Jackson County: 41 %Jackson County41Morgan County: 40.9 %Morgan County40.9Elliott County: 40.3 %Elliott County40.3Wayne County: 40.3 %Wayne County40.3Clinton County: 39.6 %Clinton County39.6Leslie County: 39.4 %Leslie County39.4Powell County: 39.3 %Powell County39.3Whitley County: 38.9 %Whitley County38.9Estill County: 38.8 %Estill County38.8Metcalfe County: 38.4 %Metcalfe County38.4Casey County: 38.2 %Casey County38.2Bath County: 37.8 %Bath County37.8Monroe County: 37.8 %Monroe County37.8Perry County: 37.2 %Perry County37.2Robertson County: 36.7 %Robertson County36.7Cumberland County: 36.2 %Cumberland County36.2Russell County: 35.8 %Russell County35.8Lewis County: 35.6 %Lewis County35.6Johnson County: 34.4 %Johnson County34.4Lawrence County: 34.3 %Lawrence County34.3Nicholas County: 34.3 %Nicholas County34.3Taylor County: 33.8 %Taylor County33.8Laurel County: 33.1 %Laurel County33.1
%. 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

RankCounties2015 (%)Change on 2014
1Owsley County61.6+6.8 pts
2Bell County56.8+11.7 pts
3Clay County53+6.2 pts
4McCreary County51.9+1.7 pts
5Wolfe County50.4+0.1 pts
6Lee County50.2+5.1 pts
7Harlan County47.7+5.1 pts
8Fulton County47.6+2.7 pts
9Knott County46.4+2.3 pts
10Martin County45.3+2.4 pts
11Knox County45.2-3.8 pts
12Magoffin County45.1+4.1 pts
13Menifee County43.5+1.5 pts
14Floyd County43.1-1.2 pts
15Breathitt County42.9-1.2 pts
16Letcher County41.9+4.8 pts
17Adair County41+2.7 pts
17Jackson County41+5 pts
19Morgan County40.9+1.2 pts
20Elliott County40.3+0.1 pts
20Wayne County40.3+2.6 pts
22Clinton County39.6+2.1 pts
23Leslie County39.4+1 pts
24Powell County39.3+0.6 pts
25Whitley County38.9+0.4 pts
26Estill County38.8+0.8 pts
27Metcalfe County38.4+0.9 pts
28Casey County38.2-4.4 pts
29Bath County37.8+4 pts
29Monroe County37.8-1.3 pts
31Perry County37.2+1.7 pts
32Robertson County36.7+1.7 pts
33Cumberland County36.2-1.6 pts
34Russell County35.8-1.6 pts
35Lewis County35.6-9.3 pts
36Johnson County34.4+2.9 pts
37Lawrence County34.3+1.2 pts
37Nicholas County34.3+4.8 pts
39Taylor County33.8-1.6 pts
40Laurel County33.1-1.9 pts
41Grayson County32.5+2 pts
42Rockcastle County32.4+0.1 pts
42Rowan County32.4+2.8 pts
44Pike County32-0.4 pts
45Fleming County31.8+1.6 pts
46Pulaski County31.7-2.7 pts
47Lincoln County31.4-3.9 pts
48Butler County31.3+0.3 pts
48Crittenden County31.3+0.1 pts
50Hart County31.1-2.6 pts
51Allen County30.2+0.9 pts
52Hickman County29.9+0.6 pts
52Montgomery County29.9+2.1 pts
54Boyd County29.4-5.3 pts
54Caldwell County29.4+1 pts
54Carter County29.4-3.2 pts
57Mason County29.3-0.9 pts
58Green County29.1-0.5 pts
59Christian County28.9-1.5 pts
60Barren County28.7-0.5 pts
60Carroll County28.7+0.5 pts
62Edmonson County28.6+0.2 pts
63Todd County28.1-1.3 pts
64Larue County27.7-0.1 pts
65Marion County27.60 pts
66Ohio County27.5-1.4 pts
67Graves County27.4+1.4 pts
68Grant County27+1.1 pts
69Hopkins County26.6+1.7 pts
70Henry County26.5+0.8 pts
70Trigg County26.5+0.2 pts
72Muhlenberg County26.2-3.8 pts
72Simpson County26.2+2.5 pts
74McLean County26+1.6 pts
75Breckinridge County25.6-1.7 pts
76Owen County25.40 pts
77Carlisle County25.2-2.4 pts
78Livingston County25+2 pts
79Boyle County24.9+0.7 pts
79Webster County24.9+0.6 pts
81Bracken County24.7-1 pts
82McCracken County24.6-1.4 pts
83Ballard County24.5+0.5 pts
84Bourbon County24.4-4.1 pts
84Harrison County24.4+0.2 pts
86Garrard County24.3-2.4 pts
86Logan County24.3-1.6 pts
88Henderson County24.2-3 pts
89Calloway County24.1-0.6 pts
90Clark County23.9-1.4 pts
91Gallatin County23.8-1.7 pts
91Jessamine County23.8+2.2 pts
93Washington County23.6+2.8 pts
94Greenup County23.5+1 pts
94Pendleton County23.5+0.8 pts
96Warren County22.9+0.4 pts
97Fayette County22.6-1.1 pts
98Franklin County22.5+1.2 pts
99Jefferson County22.4-1.5 pts
99Lyon County22.4-0.3 pts
101Trimble County22.3-1 pts
102Mercer County21.9-2.8 pts
103Hardin County21.6-0.2 pts
104Daviess County20.9-0.6 pts
105Union County20.7-2.2 pts
106Meade County20.3-0.6 pts
107Madison County20.1-2.8 pts
108Hancock County20+1.1 pts
109Marshall County19.5+0.3 pts
110Nelson County18.8-0.2 pts
111Kenton County18.2-4.1 pts
112Scott County18.1+2.6 pts
113Campbell County17.8+0.1 pts
114Shelby County17.1-0.8 pts
115Woodford County17+0.7 pts
116Anderson County16.8-0.4 pts
117Bullitt County14.5-2.9 pts
118Spencer County11.9-0.6 pts
119Boone County10.5-0.8 pts
120Oldham County6.7-0.1 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/2015/2015-state-and-county/est15all.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), 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2015/2015-state-and-county/est15all.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), 2015. U.S. Census Bureau, 27 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2015/2015-state-and-county/est15all.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/kentucky-counties?period=2015. 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), 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2015/2015-state-and-county/est15all.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/kentucky-counties?period=2015.

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), 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2015/2015-state-and-county/est15all.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/kentucky-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_kentucky_by_2015,
  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), 2015}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2015/2015-state-and-county/est15all.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/kentucky-counties?period=2015. 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/2015/2015-state-and-county/est15all.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), 2015
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/27
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2015/2015-state-and-county/est15all.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/kentucky-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/kentucky-counties?period=2015.
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/2015/2015-state-and-county/est15all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in Kentucky by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"child_poverty_rate","level":"province","within":"Kentucky","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=child_poverty_rate&level=province&within=Kentucky&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

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

Owsley County, with 61.6% in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Oldham County, with 6.7% in 2015.

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