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PantryPath Research · Child Poverty Atlas

Child Poverty in
Kentucky

Kentucky's child poverty rate is 20.2% across 120 counties, meaning 202K children under 18 live in households below the federal poverty line. Use the interactive map below to see how poverty varies within the state.

20.2%

Child poverty rate (0–17)

202K

Children in poverty

16.1%

All-ages poverty

$61,099

Median income

Kentucky by county

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Toggle between five SAIPE metrics to see how poverty varies within Kentucky. Hover a county for its exact rate.

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Lower
Higher

Kentucky at a glance

Children in poverty

202K

Ages 0–17

Child poverty rate

20.2%

Ages 0–17

5–17 poverty rate

19.1%

Title I allocator

All-ages poverty

16.1%

Entire population

Concentration

1.25×

Child ÷ all-ages

Median income

$61,099

Inflation-adjusted

County-level hotspots

Five-county rankings across 120 counties in Kentucky.

Highest child poverty

Ages 0–17, rate

  1. 1 Clay County 53.6%
  2. 2 Martin County 53.2%
  3. 3 Knox County 43.3%
  4. 4 Owsley County 42.0%
  5. 5 McCreary County 41.7%

Lowest child poverty

Ages 0–17, rate

  1. 1 Oldham County 5.0%
  2. 2 Spencer County 7.9%
  3. 3 Boone County 8.5%
  4. 4 Bullitt County 10.6%
  5. 5 Campbell County 11.9%

Most children in poverty

Absolute count, ages 0–17

  1. 1 Jefferson County 36K
  2. 2 Fayette County 12K
  3. 3 Kenton County 5K
  4. 4 Daviess County 5K
  5. 5 Warren County 5K

Every county in Kentucky

All 120 counties across the five SAIPE metrics plus median income.

County Children 0–17 Ages 5–17 All ages Concentration Child count Median income
Adair County 27.8% 27.7% 22.1% 1.26× 1,025 $45,974
Allen County 21.5% 21.8% 16.4% 1.31× 1,058 $56,483
Anderson County 12.2% 11.5% 9.0% 1.36× 680 $78,336
Ballard County 22.4% 21.3% 14.4% 1.56× 332 $69,716
Barren County 22.6% 20.9% 18.0% 1.26× 2,346 $51,068
Bath County 26.6% 26.6% 17.8% 1.49× 859 $54,247
Bell County 38.4% 38.2% 28.9% 1.33× 1,947 $35,566
Boone County 8.5% 7.5% 7.4% 1.15× 2,963 $89,313
Bourbon County 18.4% 18.2% 14.2% 1.30× 826 $61,530
Boyd County 23.0% 21.0% 18.1% 1.27× 2,272 $57,112
Boyle County 18.2% 17.1% 14.7% 1.24× 1,127 $62,541
Bracken County 19.5% 17.5% 14.3% 1.36× 376 $64,458
Breathitt County 37.3% 38.4% 30.3% 1.23× 995 $40,093
Breckinridge County 22.1% 22.0% 16.5% 1.34× 1,024 $59,267
Bullitt County 10.6% 10.5% 8.4% 1.26× 1,850 $75,402
Butler County 19.2% 19.5% 15.0% 1.28× 536 $56,395
Caldwell County 21.6% 22.5% 15.8% 1.37× 609 $52,719
Calloway County 19.5% 18.2% 17.6% 1.11× 1,355 $51,424
Campbell County 11.9% 12.3% 10.3% 1.16× 2,235 $80,573
Carlisle County 18.5% 18.9% 12.9% 1.43× 202 $58,639
Carroll County 22.5% 21.9% 16.2% 1.39× 651 $62,710
Carter County 24.4% 23.3% 19.2% 1.27× 1,401 $50,853
Casey County 27.6% 26.1% 21.1% 1.31× 989 $42,914
Christian County 23.2% 21.8% 17.8% 1.30× 4,656 $54,934
Clark County 16.3% 16.0% 10.8% 1.51× 1,332 $72,386
Clay County 53.6% 56.1% 37.2% 1.44× 2,132 $36,330
Clinton County 33.3% 33.8% 23.6% 1.41× 627 $39,877
Crittenden County 26.6% 25.6% 17.9% 1.49× 522 $53,894
Cumberland County 32.0% 33.0% 23.1% 1.39× 425 $43,127
Daviess County 21.1% 17.7% 16.2% 1.30× 5,175 $63,213
Edmonson County 21.8% 22.8% 16.0% 1.36× 477 $56,545
Elliott County 28.4% 26.2% 25.8% 1.10× 339 $43,501
Estill County 26.2% 25.0% 22.7% 1.15× 758 $45,129
Fayette County 18.2% 17.2% 15.7% 1.16× 11,912 $67,320
Fleming County 21.9% 22.4% 18.1% 1.21× 798 $50,804
Floyd County 30.6% 28.1% 26.5% 1.15× 2,328 $40,604
Franklin County 15.3% 14.9% 11.8% 1.30× 1,613 $66,920
Fulton County 35.2% 33.0% 25.9% 1.36× 480 $41,088
Gallatin County 18.2% 17.6% 13.1% 1.39× 366 $66,789
Garrard County 24.2% 25.3% 17.6% 1.37× 940 $62,980
Grant County 17.9% 17.8% 13.0% 1.38× 1,177 $68,309
Graves County 23.9% 20.3% 17.6% 1.36× 2,065 $53,947
Grayson County 23.8% 23.7% 17.8% 1.34× 1,453 $54,543
Green County 23.4% 22.0% 17.6% 1.33× 551 $48,153
Greenup County 17.2% 16.9% 15.9% 1.08× 1,245 $59,151
Hancock County 13.6% 12.8% 11.9% 1.14× 277 $70,998
Hardin County 17.6% 16.4% 14.2% 1.24× 4,798 $65,472
Harlan County 35.1% 31.5% 29.7% 1.18× 2,088 $36,916
Harrison County 16.8% 17.1% 13.9% 1.21× 733 $63,689
Hart County 22.0% 22.2% 17.7% 1.24× 1,026 $51,921
Henderson County 17.3% 17.6% 13.2% 1.31× 1,677 $58,742
Henry County 18.8% 18.1% 14.6% 1.29× 684 $66,530
Hickman County 27.2% 26.3% 18.7% 1.45× 231 $56,348
Hopkins County 19.3% 19.4% 16.0% 1.21× 1,958 $55,080
Jackson County 28.4% 29.1% 23.9% 1.19× 849 $44,713
Jefferson County 21.6% 19.7% 16.2% 1.33× 36,206 $64,977
Jessamine County 13.7% 13.0% 10.3% 1.33× 1,739 $75,155
Johnson County 28.3% 26.8% 25.0% 1.13× 1,363 $45,126
Kenton County 13.8% 14.1% 10.6% 1.30× 5,335 $79,604
Knott County 31.6% 30.6% 26.1% 1.21× 841 $42,345
Knox County 43.3% 38.0% 35.0% 1.24× 2,941 $37,640
Larue County 21.9% 22.0% 16.1% 1.36× 738 $66,310
Laurel County 27.7% 27.1% 21.8% 1.27× 3,882 $52,093
Lawrence County 24.9% 22.2% 20.6% 1.21× 937 $46,200
Lee County 36.5% 36.1% 31.1% 1.17× 463 $37,939
Leslie County 30.6% 29.5% 26.7% 1.15× 633 $39,855
Letcher County 28.9% 27.8% 23.8% 1.21× 1,251 $41,737
Lewis County 29.4% 30.5% 22.1% 1.33× 854 $46,340
Lincoln County 22.9% 22.9% 19.1% 1.20× 1,364 $51,359
Livingston County 22.7% 22.6% 14.3% 1.59× 405 $57,586
Logan County 17.5% 18.1% 14.8% 1.18× 1,177 $61,186
Lyon County 17.9% 16.1% 15.9% 1.13× 225 $63,989
Madison County 16.5% 14.8% 13.8% 1.20× 3,329 $65,438
Magoffin County 34.8% 33.2% 29.2% 1.19× 872 $40,162
Marion County 17.3% 17.1% 14.6% 1.18× 803 $54,466
Marshall County 17.3% 15.6% 13.8% 1.25× 1,067 $61,426
Martin County 53.2% 56.4% 48.1% 1.11× 1,100 $35,522
Mason County 20.9% 20.0% 17.0% 1.23× 801 $56,706
McCracken County 21.2% 21.0% 15.7% 1.35× 3,027 $60,801
McCreary County 41.7% 39.2% 35.9% 1.16× 1,500 $36,348
McLean County 17.4% 16.1% 14.7% 1.18× 360 $58,403
Meade County 13.9% 13.0% 11.7% 1.19× 892 $69,228
Menifee County 35.9% 35.2% 25.1% 1.43× 408 $44,734
Mercer County 17.6% 16.4% 13.4% 1.31× 868 $67,348
Metcalfe County 36.6% 35.7% 24.2% 1.51× 875 $40,690
Monroe County 29.6% 27.4% 23.7% 1.25× 779 $44,605
Montgomery County 18.5% 17.5% 14.6% 1.27× 1,198 $54,848
Morgan County 27.4% 27.2% 24.7% 1.11× 700 $44,587
Muhlenberg County 25.4% 26.0% 20.2% 1.26× 1,587 $52,291
Nelson County 16.2% 15.3% 12.9% 1.26× 1,728 $65,928
Nicholas County 25.4% 24.2% 17.2% 1.48× 468 $52,978
Ohio County 19.8% 19.2% 16.0% 1.24× 1,077 $55,512
Oldham County 5.0% 4.7% 5.8% 0.86× 842 $120,818
Owen County 18.9% 18.7% 15.4% 1.23× 435 $64,868
Owsley County 42.0% 44.2% 33.1% 1.27× 378 $35,000
Pendleton County 17.5% 17.2% 13.2% 1.33× 586 $71,116
Perry County 37.0% 32.8% 29.7% 1.25× 2,273 $42,519
Pike County 27.7% 25.1% 23.4% 1.18× 3,104 $46,402
Powell County 28.4% 27.8% 22.1% 1.29× 855 $46,014
Pulaski County 22.4% 21.7% 17.0% 1.32× 3,152 $54,487
Robertson County 28.3% 24.9% 19.6% 1.44× 144 $55,507
Rockcastle County 26.0% 25.6% 21.8% 1.19× 869 $49,406
Rowan County 23.2% 22.3% 24.0% 0.97× 1,100 $51,712
Russell County 25.1% 23.9% 22.3% 1.13× 1,032 $47,397
Scott County 12.6% 11.3% 10.0% 1.26× 1,801 $81,956
Shelby County 13.5% 12.9% 11.6% 1.16× 1,443 $76,693
Simpson County 18.0% 17.2% 13.7% 1.31× 828 $60,371
Spencer County 7.9% 7.7% 7.0% 1.13× 358 $97,726
Taylor County 22.8% 22.5% 19.4% 1.18× 1,357 $52,832
Todd County 22.7% 22.6% 16.3% 1.39× 753 $57,288
Trigg County 19.9% 18.8% 13.6% 1.46× 605 $57,844
Trimble County 16.8% 16.4% 13.2% 1.27× 312 $65,885
Union County 19.9% 19.1% 14.5% 1.37× 494 $60,771
Warren County 14.7% 14.6% 14.2% 1.04× 4,810 $62,108
Washington County 16.5% 15.5% 13.1% 1.26× 463 $59,071
Wayne County 35.7% 37.0% 25.0% 1.43× 1,382 $42,721
Webster County 19.2% 19.2% 15.4% 1.25× 582 $59,260
Whitley County 33.3% 27.9% 26.9% 1.24× 3,162 $43,910
Wolfe County 39.5% 38.4% 28.6% 1.38× 542 $40,949
Woodford County 12.7% 11.6% 10.6% 1.20× 731 $78,344

Help for families in Kentucky

Free meals, WIC, SNAP, and nutrition help for children in low-income households.

Families & children guide

Kentucky SNAP benefits

State-by-state SNAP eligibility, apply online, benefit amounts, and coverage gaps.

Kentucky SNAP guide

Find a food pantry

Search Kentucky's verified pantries — by ZIP, city, or county.

Kentucky food pantries