The town most frequently identified as the poorest in Kentucky in 2025 is Poor Fork, located in Harlan County. Despite its name, data indicate that Poor Fork has an average household income of about $56,932 and a poverty rate near 4%, which is relatively low compared to some other struggling areas in the state. This suggests that while it is certainly economically challenged, it may not be the absolute poorest by standard poverty metrics alone.
More broadly, Kentucky’s poorest communities tend to be in the Appalachian region, with counties like Breathitt, Wolfe, Knott, Harlan, Letcher, and Owsley consistently ranking among the poorest. For example, Owsley County, containing the town of Booneville, is often called the poorest county in the U.S., with many households surviving on less than $25,000 a year and a significant portion of the population living in poverty.
Several small towns in these counties mirror this economic hardship, often marked by declining populations, the long-term impacts of coal industry decline, and limited job opportunities. One video exploration of rural Kentucky towns such as Beattyville, Jackson, and Campton illustrates median household incomes well below $25,000, with around 40-50% of children living in poverty and high poverty rates among the elderly as well. These areas face economic stagnation and social challenges despite low costs of living.
The poorest towns and counties in Kentucky generally face issues including population decline, aging demographics, and limited access to resources. Economic revitalization efforts often struggle against structural barriers related to geography and the collapse of the coal economy that once sustained these communities.
While Poor Fork is named evocatively and notable, some of the very poorest communities in Kentucky in 2025 are towns in counties like Owsley, Breathitt, and Wolfe, where median incomes are low, poverty rates are high, and economic hardships persist amid rural Appalachia. The poverty crisis in these towns is deeply tied to the decline of traditional industries and the challenges of rural poverty in America.
This snapshot reflects ongoing economic struggles in parts of Kentucky facing systemic and long-term poverty that no single town name can fully capture but where conditions remain among the poorest in the state and nation.
Sources
[1] https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/kentucky/poor-fork
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hoq6gNVrAo
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJ7-dQ0q_R4
[4] https://www.aol.com/10-counties-poorest-ky-ranking-150448016.html
[5] https://hdpulse.nimhd.nih.gov/data-portal/_social/poverty/table?demo=00009&statefips=21
