What is the poverty rate in Kentucky?
Refreshed monthly
The poverty rate was about 15.9% of Kentucky’s population as of 2025. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2025, 714,100 people in Kentucky were considered in poverty.
15.9%
of the population (2025)
714K
people living under the poverty line (2025)
Based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010, Kentucky's poverty rate hit a peak in 2012 of 19.4%. Its lowest point was in 2024 at 15.6%. The state's poverty rate was 15.9% in 2025, 0.3 percentage points higher than the previous year.
In 2025, 15.9% of Kentucky's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2025
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2025, 714,100 people living in Kentucky were in poverty — down 13.3% from the 2012 peak of 823,200.
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In 2025, 714,100 people in Kentucky were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2025
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
What is the child poverty rate in Kentucky?
From 2015 to 2025, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Kentucky decreased from 25.9% to 19.8%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 17.6% to 15.4%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 11.2% to 13.1%.
In 2025, 19.8% of children in Kentucky were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2015–2025
How does poverty differ by race in Kentucky?
Among racial or ethnic groups in Kentucky during 2025, five had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: American Indian and Alaska Native; Black or African American; Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race); some other race; and two or more races
Two had a lower than average poverty rate: White, not Hispanic or Latino; and Asian.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the two or more races population shifted the most, decreasing from 30.8% in 2015 to 17.4% in 2025.
In Kentucky, the poverty rate for the two or more races population decreased from 30.8% in 2015 to 17.4% in 2025.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2015–2025
What counties in Kentucky have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2020–2024, the poverty rate among Kentucky counties ranged from 4.3% in Oldham County to 38.9% in McCreary County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Jefferson County — was 14.3%
In 2020-2024, the poverty rate among Kentucky counties ranged from 4.3% to 38.9%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2024)
| 1. | McCreary County | 38.9% |
| 2. | Magoffin County | 38.2% |
| 3. | Wolfe County | 37.7% |
| 4. | Knox County | 36.9% |
| 5. | Owsley County | 36.1% |
| 6. | Martin County | 33.2% |
| 7. | Breathitt County | 33.1% |
| 8. | Clay County | 32.4% |
| 9. | Leslie County | 30.3% |
| 10. | Bell County | 28.8% |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
