Data / Rankings / Poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate) / Counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate)

Wolfe County had the highest poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 120 counties in 2022, at 36.8%. Oldham County had the lowest, at 4%. The median was 18.5% and the figure for Kentucky was 16.1%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest36.8Wolfe County
Lowest4Oldham County
Median18.5120 counties
Kentucky16.1History

Map of counties, 2022

Adair County: 19.8 %Allen County: 16.5 %Anderson County: 13.4 %Ballard County: 14.3 %Barren County: 21.1 %Bath County: 23.1 %Bell County: 26.3 %Boone County: 5.7 %Bourbon County: 15.1 %Boyd County: 17.4 %Boyle County: 15 %Bracken County: 17 %Breathitt County: 28.5 %Breckinridge County: 23.5 %Bullitt County: 10.6 %Butler County: 19.8 %Caldwell County: 16.2 %Calloway County: 18.7 %Campbell County: 11.7 %Carlisle County: 20.1 %Carroll County: 20.3 %Carter County: 23.9 %Casey County: 26.1 %Christian County: 16.7 %Clark County: 15.1 %Clay County: 31.2 %Clinton County: 20.3 %Crittenden County: 17.9 %Cumberland County: 28.3 %Daviess County: 14 %Edmonson County: 17 %Elliott County: 24.7 %Estill County: 24 %Fayette County: 14.9 %Fleming County: 21 %Floyd County: 29.3 %Franklin County: 13.3 %Fulton County: 27.4 %Gallatin County: 16.8 %Garrard County: 15.7 %Grant County: 12.8 %Graves County: 19.8 %Grayson County: 21.1 %Green County: 21.4 %Greenup County: 15.1 %Hancock County: 15.1 %Hardin County: 11.5 %Harlan County: 30 %Harrison County: 15.8 %Hart County: 22.6 %Henderson County: 17 %Henry County: 16.2 %Hickman County: 16.7 %Hopkins County: 19.2 %Jackson County: 22.6 %Jefferson County: 14.1 %Jessamine County: 12.1 %Johnson County: 21.4 %Kenton County: 11.9 %Knott County: 27.7 %Knox County: 34 %Larue County: 18.8 %Laurel County: 20.6 %Lawrence County: 26.3 %Lee County: 31.4 %Leslie County: 33.6 %Letcher County: 29 %Lewis County: 26.6 %Lincoln County: 17.4 %Livingston County: 16.8 %Logan County: 15.8 %Lyon County: 10 %McCracken County: 15.2 %McCreary County: 33.7 %McLean County: 7.9 %Madison County: 16.1 %Magoffin County: 30.4 %Marion County: 22.5 %Marshall County: 12.1 %Martin County: 23.5 %Mason County: 18.7 %Meade County: 13.3 %Menifee County: 26.9 %Mercer County: 11.2 %Metcalfe County: 24 %Monroe County: 20.9 %Montgomery County: 16.4 %Morgan County: 20.4 %Muhlenberg County: 16.3 %Nelson County: 8.8 %Nicholas County: 16.2 %Ohio County: 14 %Oldham County: 4 %Owen County: 14.1 %Owsley County: 28.8 %Pendleton County: 17.8 %Perry County: 23.8 %Pike County: 23.9 %Powell County: 21.1 %Pulaski County: 21.4 %Robertson County: 22 %Rockcastle County: 23.6 %Rowan County: 24.6 %Russell County: 21.6 %Scott County: 9.3 %Shelby County: 7.9 %Simpson County: 14.2 %Spencer County: 8.3 %Taylor County: 14.3 %Todd County: 21.1 %Trigg County: 18.2 %Trimble County: 13.7 %Union County: 18.9 %Warren County: 17.2 %Washington County: 14.1 %Wayne County: 25.4 %Webster County: 16.1 %Whitley County: 23.5 %Wolfe County: 36.8 %Woodford County: 8.4 %
  • Under 14
  • 14 to 16
  • 16 to 18
  • 18 to 21
  • 21 to 25
  • 25 and over
%, 2022. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2022

Wolfe County: 36.8 %Wolfe County36.8Knox County: 34 %Knox County34McCreary County: 33.7 %McCreary County33.7Leslie County: 33.6 %Leslie County33.6Lee County: 31.4 %Lee County31.4Clay County: 31.2 %Clay County31.2Magoffin County: 30.4 %Magoffin County30.4Harlan County: 30 %Harlan County30Floyd County: 29.3 %Floyd County29.3Letcher County: 29 %Letcher County29Owsley County: 28.8 %Owsley County28.8Breathitt County: 28.5 %Breathitt County28.5Cumberland County: 28.3 %Cumberland County28.3Knott County: 27.7 %Knott County27.7Fulton County: 27.4 %Fulton County27.4Menifee County: 26.9 %Menifee County26.9Lewis County: 26.6 %Lewis County26.6Lawrence County: 26.3 %Lawrence County26.3Bell County: 26.3 %Bell County26.3Casey County: 26.1 %Casey County26.1Wayne County: 25.4 %Wayne County25.4Elliott County: 24.7 %Elliott County24.7Rowan County: 24.6 %Rowan County24.6Metcalfe County: 24 %Metcalfe County24Estill County: 24 %Estill County24Pike County: 23.9 %Pike County23.9Carter County: 23.9 %Carter County23.9Perry County: 23.8 %Perry County23.8Rockcastle County: 23.6 %Rockcastle County23.6Martin County: 23.5 %Martin County23.5Breckinridge County: 23.5 %Breckinridge County23.5Whitley County: 23.5 %Whitley County23.5Bath County: 23.1 %Bath County23.1Hart County: 22.6 %Hart County22.6Jackson County: 22.6 %Jackson County22.6Marion County: 22.5 %Marion County22.5Robertson County: 22 %Robertson County22Russell County: 21.6 %Russell County21.6Johnson County: 21.4 %Johnson County21.4Pulaski County: 21.4 %Pulaski County21.4Wolfe County: 36.8 %Wolfe County36.8Knox County: 34 %Knox County34McCreary County: 33.7 %McCreary County33.7Leslie County: 33.6 %Leslie County33.6Lee County: 31.4 %Lee County31.4Clay County: 31.2 %Clay County31.2Magoffin County: 30.4 %Magoffin County30.4Harlan County: 30 %Harlan County30Floyd County: 29.3 %Floyd County29.3Letcher County: 29 %Letcher County29Owsley County: 28.8 %Owsley County28.8Breathitt County: 28.5 %Breathitt County28.5Cumberland County: 28.3 %Cumberland County28.3Knott County: 27.7 %Knott County27.7Fulton County: 27.4 %Fulton County27.4Menifee County: 26.9 %Menifee County26.9Lewis County: 26.6 %Lewis County26.6Lawrence County: 26.3 %Lawrence County26.3Bell County: 26.3 %Bell County26.3Casey County: 26.1 %Casey County26.1Wayne County: 25.4 %Wayne County25.4Elliott County: 24.7 %Elliott County24.7Rowan County: 24.6 %Rowan County24.6Metcalfe County: 24 %Metcalfe County24Estill County: 24 %Estill County24Pike County: 23.9 %Pike County23.9Carter County: 23.9 %Carter County23.9Perry County: 23.8 %Perry County23.8Rockcastle County: 23.6 %Rockcastle County23.6Martin County: 23.5 %Martin County23.5Breckinridge County: 23.5 %Breckinridge County23.5Whitley County: 23.5 %Whitley County23.5Bath County: 23.1 %Bath County23.1Hart County: 22.6 %Hart County22.6Jackson County: 22.6 %Jackson County22.6Marion County: 22.5 %Marion County22.5Robertson County: 22 %Robertson County22Russell County: 21.6 %Russell County21.6Johnson County: 21.4 %Johnson County21.4Pulaski County: 21.4 %Pulaski County21.4
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Wolfe County36.8+2.1 pts
2Knox County34-0.5 pts
3McCreary County33.7+3.6 pts
4Leslie County33.6-0.9 pts
5Lee County31.4+1.4 pts
6Clay County31.2-2.3 pts
7Magoffin County30.4+1.4 pts
8Harlan County30-3.6 pts
9Floyd County29.3+0.3 pts
10Letcher County29-2.2 pts
11Owsley County28.8+1.1 pts
12Breathitt County28.5-2.8 pts
13Cumberland County28.3+3.4 pts
14Knott County27.7-1.8 pts
15Fulton County27.4+2.2 pts
16Menifee County26.9+0.5 pts
17Lewis County26.6-0.4 pts
18Lawrence County26.3+0.2 pts
19Bell County26.3-2 pts
20Casey County26.1+1.2 pts
21Wayne County25.4+2.9 pts
22Elliott County24.7-0.8 pts
23Rowan County24.6-0.8 pts
24Metcalfe County24+2.8 pts
25Estill County24-1.7 pts
26Pike County23.9-1.7 pts
27Carter County23.9-6.3 pts
28Perry County23.8+2.3 pts
29Rockcastle County23.6+2.4 pts
30Martin County23.5+1.2 pts
31Breckinridge County23.5+4 pts
32Whitley County23.5+1.9 pts
33Bath County23.1+0.6 pts
34Hart County22.6+0.8 pts
34Jackson County22.6-5.6 pts
36Marion County22.5+2.6 pts
37Robertson County22-0.9 pts
38Russell County21.6-1.4 pts
39Johnson County21.4+0.9 pts
40Pulaski County21.4-1.6 pts
41Green County21.4-0.8 pts
42Todd County21.1-0.4 pts
43Powell County21.1+2.6 pts
44Barren County21.1-2.5 pts
45Grayson County21.1-2.7 pts
46Fleming County21+5.4 pts
47Monroe County20.9-3.4 pts
48Laurel County20.6-1.6 pts
49Morgan County20.4-1.9 pts
50Carroll County20.3-4 pts
51Clinton County20.3-2.6 pts
52Carlisle County20.1+0.4 pts
53Adair County19.8+1.6 pts
53Graves County19.8+1.3 pts
55Butler County19.8+1.6 pts
56Hopkins County19.2-0.8 pts
57Union County18.9+0.1 pts
58Larue County18.8+2.7 pts
59Calloway County18.7+0.3 pts
59Mason County18.7+2.4 pts
61Trigg County18.2+0.8 pts
62Crittenden County17.9+2.7 pts
63Pendleton County17.8-1 pts
64Boyd County17.4-0.2 pts
65Lincoln County17.4-1.5 pts
66Warren County17.2+0.4 pts
67Henderson County17+0.6 pts
68Bracken County17-1.4 pts
68Edmonson County170 pts
70Livingston County16.8+0.1 pts
71Gallatin County16.8-1.2 pts
72Christian County16.7-0.3 pts
73Hickman County16.7-3.7 pts
74Allen County16.5-1.9 pts
75Montgomery County16.4-1.4 pts
76Muhlenberg County16.3+1.2 pts
77Henry County16.2-1.2 pts
78Caldwell County16.2+1.5 pts
78Nicholas County16.2-3.1 pts
80Madison County16.1+0.1 pts
81Webster County16.1-0.6 pts
82Harrison County15.8-1.1 pts
83Logan County15.8-2.3 pts
84Garrard County15.7+1.2 pts
85McCracken County15.2+0.1 pts
86Hancock County15.1+2.1 pts
87Bourbon County15.1+1.4 pts
88Greenup County15.1+0.3 pts
89Clark County15.1+0.9 pts
90Boyle County15+0.5 pts
91Fayette County14.9-0.8 pts
92Ballard County14.3+0.3 pts
93Taylor County14.3-0.5 pts
94Simpson County14.2+1.7 pts
95Owen County14.1-1.3 pts
96Jefferson County14.1+0.4 pts
96Washington County14.1+0.4 pts
98Ohio County14-1.4 pts
99Daviess County14-0.8 pts
100Trimble County13.7-0.6 pts
101Anderson County13.4-0.3 pts
102Meade County13.3+0.1 pts
103Franklin County13.3-0 pts
104Grant County12.8+0.1 pts
105Jessamine County12.1-0.5 pts
105Marshall County12.1+0.4 pts
107Kenton County11.90 pts
108Campbell County11.7-0.5 pts
109Hardin County11.5+0.3 pts
110Mercer County11.2-0.8 pts
111Bullitt County10.6+0.4 pts
112Lyon County10-0.1 pts
113Scott County9.3-0.9 pts
114Nelson County8.8+0.7 pts
115Woodford County8.4+1.1 pts
116Spencer County8.3+1.7 pts
117McLean County7.9-2.8 pts
118Shelby County7.9-1.5 pts
119Boone County5.7-0.3 pts
120Oldham County4-0.2 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People with income in the past 12 months below the official US poverty thresholds, as a percentage of people whose poverty status is determined. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

The headline single-year rate for states and counties is poverty_rate (SAIPE). Poverty status is not determined for people in institutions, military group quarters or college dormitories, or for unrelated children under 15. Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_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. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b17001.dat. 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). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs (Counties in Kentucky by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b17001.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in Kentucky by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b17001.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/kentucky-counties?period=2022. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs. Counties in Kentucky by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b17001.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/kentucky-counties?period=2022.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in Kentucky by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b17001.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/kentucky-counties?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_kentucky_by_2022,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in Kentucky by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b17001.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/kentucky-counties?period=2022. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b17001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in Kentucky by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b17001.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/kentucky-counties?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/kentucky-counties?period=2022.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b17001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Wolfe County, with 36.8% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Oldham County, with 4% in 2022.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate): other rankings

Counties in Kentucky: more rankings