In addition to these federal programs, state and local programs use the income and poverty estimates for distributing funds and managing programs. Harlan is one of many coal mining counties in Kentucky to rank on this list. Is it no wonder McConnell feels no pain in rejecting $2,000 checks? Most American households earn more than $62,800 annually, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Poverty in the US: These are the poorest towns in each state - USA Today Population. Value for Kentucky (Percent): 16.9% Data item: Persons in poverty, percent QuickFacts uses data from the following sources: National level - Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC); State level - American Community Survey (ACS), one-year estimates; County level - The Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), one-year estimates; Sub-county level . In 1843, this county was organized and then named for Judge and Governor, William Owsley. 16 min read. These metrics are set at a federal level, and thus do not adjust for local cost of living metrics that vastly change purchasing power. With all the talk about income inequality going on around the country, we thought it prudent to take a look at the places in each state that are struggling to make it even as the economy continues to improve. List of Tennessee locations by per capita income - Wikipedia Editors Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. In Helena-West Helena, Arkansas's poorest town, over 50% of households earn less than $22,000 a year.Of the area's 11,200 residents, 42.5% live below the poverty line, more than double the 18.1% poverty rate across the state as a whole. More than 30 percent of county residents live below the poverty line, and a similar share rely on SNAP benefits, or food stamps, to afford basic necessities. Health Insurance Coverage Map. Life expectancy in the county is less than 73 years, about six years below the national life expectancy. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the national poverty rate was 11.2% in 2021, the same rate as in 2020. The poverty rate in Kentucky is 28.91% higher than the US average. Please. The Poorest County In Every State - Page 8 - 24/7 Wall St. In addition to coal mining, tobacco, timber, and corn are critical components of the local economy industries that typically do not require much in the way of a formal education. While GDP has recovered since the height of the pandemic, wage growth has not kept pace with inflation. 9. The county's median annual household income of $44,249 . Population: 11,447Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 2)Median Income: $29,611 (3rd lowest)Unemployment Rate: 9.2% (8th highest)Poverty Rate: 31.4% (7th highest)More on Somerset: Data|Photos. If youre ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now. So we looked at this set of criteria from the newly released 2015-2019 American Community Survey: The "median household income adjusted for the cost of living" attempts to gauge how expensive it is to live in a place and how that impacts the quality of life. Instead, it's just a look at the facts. 8), Breathitt (No. Below is a chart which provides a summary of the data source recommendations by geographic level. Twitter. He lost, getting under a third of the vote in a Democratic primary in all but one county. The main objective of this program is to provide estimates of income and poverty for the administration of federal programs and the allocation of federal funds to local jurisdictions. Population: 14,393Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 2)Median Income: $35,138 (14th lowest)Unemployment Rate: 8.4% (14th highest)Poverty Rate: 27.6% (12th highest)More on Glasgow: Data|Photos. This is our seventh time ranking the poorest places in Kentucky. Case in point: the 10 poorest counties in Kansas, which might be slightly below others when it comes to finances. Now, progressives who supported Sanders will be quick to suggest that Democrats would win these areas if they ran on economically populist and progressive ideas, such as Medicare For All or stronger labor unions. What is poorest county in Arkansas? - 2023 When you click through real estate links on our site, we earn an affiliate commission. The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes and does not include capital gains or noncash benefits (such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps). Population: 11,419Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)Median Income: $31,107 (7th lowest)Unemployment Rate: 6.1% (28th highest)Poverty Rate: 25.5% (16th highest)More on Campbellsville: Data|Photos. Trailing only Mississippi, Arkansas is the second poorest state in the country. How Kentucky's Poorest Counties Voted In 2020 Which Data Source to Use, How the Census Bureau measures poverty: The Census Bureau poverty definition - Following the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Statistical Policy Directive 14, the Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. The crime rates soar above the national average by 324 percent. Bell County is located in the southeastern corner of Kentucky, along the Virginia and Tennessee state borders. In fact, it was first time he ever won Wolfe and Elliott counties, which were once Democratic strongholds. as well as image rights, data visualizations, forward planning tools, The pandemic changed all that: During the second quarter of the 2020 fiscal year, our nation's real GDP fell by a whopping 31.4%, a number that hasn't been seen since the Great Depression. The city of 11,419 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Bluegrass State. Copy link. Dont freak out we updated this article for 2021. Wolfe County, the poorest in eastern Kentucky, has a median income of about $22,000 a year and a poverty rate of 36%, according to an analysis of 2020 U.S. Census estimates. In the last five years alone, the number of people living in the county fell by 4.6 percent. Ever, CountyMedian Household IncomeMcConnell%McGrath%Trump%Biden%Owsley$19,3511,51781%28015%1,67188%21611%Breathitt$19,9063,73867%1,65229%4,26575%1,30123%Clay$20,1756,24282%1,01613%6,67788%831``11%Wolfe$20,9101,91264%94532%2,09770%83928%Knox$21,49310,29178%2,41318%11,01283%2,11416%Jackson$21,9285,16885%689``11%5,45389%60510%Elliott$22,0971,95866%86829%2,24675%71224%McCreary$22,6435,17981%88914%5.66488%72511%Magoffin$22.7993,85771%1,39326%4.17477%1,21423%Clinton$23.7883.96981%72915%4,28087%60312%. Owsley County even voted for Alf Landon over Franklin D. Roosevelt by an 83-15 margin, the third highest margin of victory for Landon in the country that year. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks. Hurstbourne is a home rule class city within the borders of Louisville. Higher education can open doors to higher paying jobs, and areas with fewer college-educated adults often have lower income levels. How did he do? All rights reserved. 2021. Sen. Sanders is right that McConnell has turned his back on working class Americans by denying them extra money in stimulus that even his own party's president has called for, but it's not surprising he did it and that he isn't worried about his own prospects. Population: 5,644Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)Median Income: $30,031 (5th lowest)Unemployment Rate: 18.2% (highest)Poverty Rate: 31.8% (5th highest)More on Lebanon: Data|Photos. Bell County is not only the poorest county in Kentucky, but also one of the poorest in the United States. Kentucky Poverty Rate - Welfare Info Also, remember, some of these counties didn't even vote for FDR or Lyndon Johnson. Population: 7,039Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 3)Median Income: $36,840 (16th lowest)Unemployment Rate: 11.1% (5th highest)Poverty Rate: 24.8% (17th highest)More on Russellville: Data|Photos. List of Kentucky locations by per capita income - Wikipedia Poverty rate: 27.7 percent Unemployment rate: 5.8 . For example, in Martin County, the number of coal jobsfell by 63 percent between 2011 and 2015 and one of the consequences has been an overall county population decline of nearly 6 percent in the last five years. The city of 5,644 people averages the 5th lowest median household income in Kentucky and the 5th highest poverty rate. U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Hart County, Kentucky Kentucky is rich when it comes to beautiful land, water ways, and friendly people. Nearly 30 percent of county residents live in poverty, and most households earn less than $30,000 a year. Since then the GDP has recovered, the first quarter of 2022 was 11% above the fourth quarter of 2019. Placing as the third poorest city, Mayfield's median income ranks as the 11th lowest. Coal country has been hollowed out as the American coal industry has steadily declined for decades and Breathitt has not been spared. He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move. Data at a county level - Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE). The disaster is another body blow to a region that has for decades endured poverty, poor health and unemployment. Pine Knot is the largest community in the county. Most households earn less than $26,000 a year, and over a third of the population lives below the poverty line. The typical Selma household earns just $24,820 a year, only about half the median household. Bell County is not only the poorest county in Kentucky, but also one of the poorest in the United States. Men Have Coverage The 20 largest counties by population all have populations of 48,000 or higher, and just 7 of the 120 have a population of 100,000 or higher. The list paints a stark picture of many areas in Kentucky that have suffered as the coal industry has declined. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size. Like much of the region, the county's population has declined along with the U.S. coal industry. [1] The American Community Survey is a large demographic survey collected throughout the year using mailed questionnaires, telephone interviews, and visits from Census Bureau field representatives to about 3.5 million household addresses annually, regardless of their legal immigration status. Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Kentucky, we weren't sure what we'd encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Kentucky. Beattyville's median household income is just $12,361 (about 8,000) a year, placing it as the third lowest income town in the US, according to that Census Bureau 2008-12 survey. While there are several notable exceptions, many of the counties on this list are relatively rural and far removed from major metropolitan areas that often serve as hubs of economic activity. However, the poorest places in Kansas make up for those shortcomings with personality, spirit, and pride. The poverty rate is 34.679359765665865% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state. Owsley County is the poorest county in the country; more than half of the county residents' personal income comes from government benefits. Learn more about Appalachia's income and poverty trends below. Population. . We analyzed the over 140 places in Kentucky to determine which ones are at the bottom of the income ladder. Well it isn't entirely clear, but some of these counties are historically Republican going back to the Civil War, where they were strongholds of abolitionist and Union sympathisers. In Knox County in southeastern Kentucky, only 68 percent of adults have a high school diploma, and just 10 percent have a bachelor's degree compared to 87 percent and 30 percent of adults nationwide, respectively. The county epitomizes many of the social and economic problems so common throughout the region. That compares to a statewide median household income of $65,699 per year, according to the analysis. RoadSnacks is reader-supported. Hart County, Kentucky. Wolfe County, Kentucky. Believe it or not, there are still folks out there who sit down to dinner and dont bring their mobile device to the table. Georgia: Telfair County. By the numbers: Mahnomen ranks the poorest of Minnesota counties For years, Mark Lamb has called himself "the American Sheriff.". It ranks as having the 9th highest incidence of poverty and the 4th highest unemployment rate. Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are data deficient (because they are not included in the American Community Survey), not all recent poverty rate estimates have been made for them. In half of all states there is at least one county where the median annual household income is less than $40,000. Jackson County is located in central Kentucky and includes portions of the Daniel Boone national forest. And that's a sign that there's a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. "So maybe my colleague, the Majority Leader, might want to get on the phone and start talking to working families in Kentucky and find out how they feel about the need for immediate help in terms of a $2,000 check for adults.". Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy, Bachelor's degree attainment:12.6 percent, Bachelor's degree attainment:10.5 percent, Bachelor's degree attainment:8.2 percent, Bachelor's degree attainment:11.4 percent, Bachelor's degree attainment:9.3 percent, Bachelor's degree attainment:8.9 percent, Bachelor's degree attainment:9.5 percent, Bachelor's degree attainment:7.6 percent. The community hasn't done to bad for itself with almost 14,000 residents, and most having an average income of $11,044.