KY / county disease rankings
Counties with the highest premature death rates in Kentucky
Among 120 Kentucky counties with published values, the counties with the highest premature death rates are Owsley County, KY (23,920.4, 2.43 times the U.S. county median of 9,824.9), Wolfe County, KY (22,193.4, 2.26 times the U.S. county median of 9,824.9) and Perry County, KY (21,360.1, 2.17 times the U.S. county median of 9,824.9). Values are years of life lost before 75 per 100,000.
Source: County Health Rankings, built from CDC National Vital Statistics System death records. These are county-level figures, compared with the U.S. county median. A high rate does not prove an environmental cause: age, smoking, income, access to care, screening and chance all move county rates, and small counties swing widely.
All Kentucky counties, highest first
Premature death, years of life lost before 75 per 100,000.
| Rank | County | State | Value | U.S. county median | Times reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Owsley County | KY | 23,920.4 | 9,824.9 | 2.43x |
| 2 | Wolfe County | KY | 22,193.4 | 9,824.9 | 2.26x |
| 3 | Perry County | KY | 21,360.1 | 9,824.9 | 2.17x |
| 4 | Knott County | KY | 20,880.8 | 9,824.9 | 2.13x |
| 5 | Harlan County | KY | 20,676.7 | 9,824.9 | 2.1x |
| 6 | Floyd County | KY | 19,361.2 | 9,824.9 | 1.97x |
| 7 | Bell County | KY | 19,303.4 | 9,824.9 | 1.96x |
| 8 | Magoffin County | KY | 18,906.5 | 9,824.9 | 1.92x |
| 9 | Breathitt County | KY | 18,853.3 | 9,824.9 | 1.92x |
| 10 | Letcher County | KY | 18,646 | 9,824.9 | 1.9x |
| 11 | Fulton County | KY | 17,912.8 | 9,824.9 | 1.82x |
| 12 | Rockcastle County | KY | 16,971.5 | 9,824.9 | 1.73x |
| 13 | Powell County | KY | 16,951.6 | 9,824.9 | 1.73x |
| 14 | Whitley County | KY | 16,850 | 9,824.9 | 1.72x |
| 15 | Leslie County | KY | 16,776.8 | 9,824.9 | 1.71x |
| 16 | Bath County | KY | 16,750.1 | 9,824.9 | 1.7x |
| 17 | Clay County | KY | 16,673.9 | 9,824.9 | 1.7x |
| 18 | Menifee County | KY | 16,657.4 | 9,824.9 | 1.7x |
| 19 | Estill County | KY | 16,583.5 | 9,824.9 | 1.69x |
| 20 | Lee County | KY | 16,473.3 | 9,824.9 | 1.68x |
| 21 | Pike County | KY | 16,442.5 | 9,824.9 | 1.67x |
| 22 | Johnson County | KY | 16,084.2 | 9,824.9 | 1.64x |
| 23 | Webster County | KY | 15,678.9 | 9,824.9 | 1.6x |
| 24 | Carter County | KY | 15,654.6 | 9,824.9 | 1.59x |
| 25 | Lewis County | KY | 15,649 | 9,824.9 | 1.59x |
| 26 | Knox County | KY | 15,275.4 | 9,824.9 | 1.55x |
| 27 | McCreary County | KY | 14,729.7 | 9,824.9 | 1.5x |
| 28 | Carroll County | KY | 14,552.8 | 9,824.9 | 1.48x |
| 29 | Lincoln County | KY | 14,551.4 | 9,824.9 | 1.48x |
| 30 | Hickman County | KY | 14,520.7 | 9,824.9 | 1.48x |
| 31 | Robertson County | KY | 14,500.3 | 9,824.9 | 1.48x |
| 32 | Lawrence County | KY | 14,424.4 | 9,824.9 | 1.47x |
| 33 | Martin County | KY | 14,340.5 | 9,824.9 | 1.46x |
| 34 | Adair County | KY | 13,988.8 | 9,824.9 | 1.42x |
| 35 | Bracken County | KY | 13,860 | 9,824.9 | 1.41x |
| 36 | Rowan County | KY | 13,748.9 | 9,824.9 | 1.4x |
| 37 | Crittenden County | KY | 13,654.3 | 9,824.9 | 1.39x |
| 38 | Boyd County | KY | 13,628 | 9,824.9 | 1.39x |
| 39 | Grayson County | KY | 13,588.7 | 9,824.9 | 1.38x |
| 40 | Christian County | KY | 13,574.2 | 9,824.9 | 1.38x |
| 41 | Clark County | KY | 13,319.8 | 9,824.9 | 1.36x |
| 42 | Livingston County | KY | 13,207.5 | 9,824.9 | 1.34x |
| 43 | Montgomery County | KY | 13,179.6 | 9,824.9 | 1.34x |
| 44 | Jackson County | KY | 13,111.6 | 9,824.9 | 1.33x |
| 45 | Taylor County | KY | 13,038.3 | 9,824.9 | 1.33x |
| 46 | Wayne County | KY | 13,029.3 | 9,824.9 | 1.33x |
| 47 | Pendleton County | KY | 13,014.6 | 9,824.9 | 1.32x |
| 48 | Russell County | KY | 12,997.2 | 9,824.9 | 1.32x |
| 49 | Trigg County | KY | 12,993.1 | 9,824.9 | 1.32x |
| 50 | Carlisle County | KY | 12,948.3 | 9,824.9 | 1.32x |
| 51 | Casey County | KY | 12,947 | 9,824.9 | 1.32x |
| 52 | Caldwell County | KY | 12,822.1 | 9,824.9 | 1.31x |
| 53 | Greenup County | KY | 12,736.9 | 9,824.9 | 1.3x |
| 54 | Pulaski County | KY | 12,730.8 | 9,824.9 | 1.3x |
| 55 | Henry County | KY | 12,702.3 | 9,824.9 | 1.29x |
| 56 | Clinton County | KY | 12,682.7 | 9,824.9 | 1.29x |
| 57 | Jefferson County | KY | 12,651.6 | 9,824.9 | 1.29x |
| 58 | Marion County | KY | 12,581 | 9,824.9 | 1.28x |
| 59 | Owen County | KY | 12,546.4 | 9,824.9 | 1.28x |
| 60 | Metcalfe County | KY | 12,509.7 | 9,824.9 | 1.27x |
| 61 | Grant County | KY | 12,411.4 | 9,824.9 | 1.26x |
| 62 | Larue County | KY | 12,354.8 | 9,824.9 | 1.26x |
| 63 | Mason County | KY | 12,340.3 | 9,824.9 | 1.26x |
| 64 | Trimble County | KY | 12,330.4 | 9,824.9 | 1.26x |
| 65 | Harrison County | KY | 12,273.1 | 9,824.9 | 1.25x |
| 66 | Breckinridge County | KY | 12,214.6 | 9,824.9 | 1.24x |
| 67 | Gallatin County | KY | 12,176.8 | 9,824.9 | 1.24x |
| 68 | Muhlenberg County | KY | 12,123 | 9,824.9 | 1.23x |
| 69 | Allen County | KY | 12,023.2 | 9,824.9 | 1.22x |
| 70 | Ballard County | KY | 12,005.7 | 9,824.9 | 1.22x |
| 71 | Morgan County | KY | 11,957.9 | 9,824.9 | 1.22x |
| 72 | Franklin County | KY | 11,856.1 | 9,824.9 | 1.21x |
| 73 | Laurel County | KY | 11,684 | 9,824.9 | 1.19x |
| 74 | Ohio County | KY | 11,567.1 | 9,824.9 | 1.18x |
| 75 | Hopkins County | KY | 11,560.3 | 9,824.9 | 1.18x |
| 76 | Fleming County | KY | 11,529.3 | 9,824.9 | 1.17x |
| 77 | Bourbon County | KY | 11,509.1 | 9,824.9 | 1.17x |
| 78 | Butler County | KY | 11,443.2 | 9,824.9 | 1.16x |
| 79 | Todd County | KY | 11,429.8 | 9,824.9 | 1.16x |
| 80 | McCracken County | KY | 11,387.2 | 9,824.9 | 1.16x |
| 81 | Garrard County | KY | 11,374.1 | 9,824.9 | 1.16x |
| 82 | Monroe County | KY | 11,281.4 | 9,824.9 | 1.15x |
| 83 | Henderson County | KY | 11,101.4 | 9,824.9 | 1.13x |
| 84 | Madison County | KY | 11,055.1 | 9,824.9 | 1.13x |
| 85 | Simpson County | KY | 11,054.8 | 9,824.9 | 1.13x |
| 86 | Green County | KY | 11,040.1 | 9,824.9 | 1.12x |
| 87 | Nicholas County | KY | 11,024 | 9,824.9 | 1.12x |
| 88 | Graves County | KY | 10,917 | 9,824.9 | 1.11x |
| 89 | Hardin County | KY | 10,822.2 | 9,824.9 | 1.1x |
| 90 | Logan County | KY | 10,817.3 | 9,824.9 | 1.1x |
| 91 | Hart County | KY | 10,749.6 | 9,824.9 | 1.09x |
| 92 | Mercer County | KY | 10,738.1 | 9,824.9 | 1.09x |
| 93 | Washington County | KY | 10,519.2 | 9,824.9 | 1.07x |
| 94 | Nelson County | KY | 10,516.4 | 9,824.9 | 1.07x |
| 95 | Boyle County | KY | 10,411.3 | 9,824.9 | 1.06x |
| 96 | Barren County | KY | 10,308.1 | 9,824.9 | 1.05x |
| 97 | Cumberland County | KY | 10,295.7 | 9,824.9 | 1.05x |
| 98 | Bullitt County | KY | 10,263.3 | 9,824.9 | 1.04x |
| 99 | Elliott County | KY | 10,154.7 | 9,824.9 | 1.03x |
| 100 | Calloway County | KY | 10,108.5 | 9,824.9 | 1.03x |
| 101 | Union County | KY | 10,035.1 | 9,824.9 | 1.02x |
| 102 | Daviess County | KY | 9,962 | 9,824.9 | 1.01x |
| 103 | Jessamine County | KY | 9,935.1 | 9,824.9 | 1.01x |
| 104 | Anderson County | KY | 9,892.1 | 9,824.9 | 1.01x |
| 105 | Hancock County | KY | 9,527.1 | 9,824.9 | 0.97x |
| 106 | Marshall County | KY | 9,526.8 | 9,824.9 | 0.97x |
| 107 | Meade County | KY | 9,457.4 | 9,824.9 | 0.96x |
| 108 | Woodford County | KY | 9,362.8 | 9,824.9 | 0.95x |
| 109 | Warren County | KY | 9,208.2 | 9,824.9 | 0.94x |
| 110 | Fayette County | KY | 9,020.9 | 9,824.9 | 0.92x |
| 111 | Edmonson County | KY | 8,976.1 | 9,824.9 | 0.91x |
| 112 | Scott County | KY | 8,790.1 | 9,824.9 | 0.89x |
| 113 | Kenton County | KY | 8,771.1 | 9,824.9 | 0.89x |
| 114 | Shelby County | KY | 8,676.3 | 9,824.9 | 0.88x |
| 115 | McLean County | KY | 8,599.6 | 9,824.9 | 0.88x |
| 116 | Lyon County | KY | 8,310 | 9,824.9 | 0.85x |
| 117 | Campbell County | KY | 8,182.5 | 9,824.9 | 0.83x |
| 118 | Spencer County | KY | 8,170 | 9,824.9 | 0.83x |
| 119 | Boone County | KY | 7,098 | 9,824.9 | 0.72x |
| 120 | Oldham County | KY | 5,388.9 | 9,824.9 | 0.55x |