These Are The 10 Dumbest Cities In Kentucky

Kentucky is a pretty great state with some wonderfully friendly and hospitable people.

And when it comes to brains, Kentucky is about average, coming in as the 31st dumbest state in the country. In fact, a recent Washington Post study found it to be a little smarter than Indiana, but a little smarter than Oklahoma.

That doesn’t mean every single place in Kentucky is filled to the brim with blockheads. In fact, by looking at the data, we can see which Kentucky cities are contributing to the state’s intelligence deficit the most.

After crunching the numbers, we came up with this list of the ten dumbest cities in the Bluegrass State:

1. Beaver Dam
2. London (Photos)
3. Lancaster (Photos)
4. Prestonsburg (Photos)
5. Carrollton (Photos)
6. Paintsville (Photos)
7. Louisa (Photos)
8. Leitchfield (Photos)
9. Cynthiana (Photos)
10. Shelbyville (Photos)

For more Kentucky reading, check out:

• Worst Cities in Kentucky
• Most Dangerous Cities in Kentucky
• Safest Cities in Kentucky

How we determined the dumbest cities in the Bluegrass State

We realize that formal education isn’t everything when it comes to being smart, but on the other hand not knowing the difference between they’re, their, and there is always going to make you look pretty stupid.

So we narrowed down our criteria to focus both on a city’s educational opportunities and what percentage of the population takes advantage of those opportunities.

In short, we came up with these criteria to determine the dumbest cities in Kentucky:

• % of city’s population with less than a high school education (Age 25+)
• % of high school drop outs (Ages 16-19)

Note: We only looked at cities with populations greater than 2,000, leaving us 112 cities in Kentucky to rank. We also looked at the graduation rates of the entire population, not the current rates for high schoolers.

1. Beaver Dam

Population: 2,429
Adults Without High School Diploma: 30.7%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 23.7%

Beaver Dam is a little city along I-69, west of Elizabethtown. When you look at the data, this is the dumbest place in Kentucky. More than 30% of the adults here don’t have a high school diploma by the age of 25, which is twice the state average.

But the kids are also to blame. At 23.7%, they are the 5th dumbest teens in Kentucky.

They both need to crack the books.

2. London

Population: 5,613
Adults Without High School Diploma: 26.0%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 24.3%

London’s 16 to 19 year-olds are actually dumber than those in Beaver Dam, but the adult population is 4% smarter, making London a little less unintelligent, overall.

London has a technical college and a community college in town, but it appears as if many of the kids who should be enrolled cannot get in because they don’t have the basic educational requirements.

3. Lancaster

Population: 2,458
Adults Without High School Diploma: 27.2%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 17.3%

This teeny city out in the sticks south of Lexington has a much smarter group of kids, but they’re still 4 times less ‘smart’ than other kids their age.

But their parents share the blame here; they’re 6th in Kentucky when it comes to the number of adults who are walking around without a high school diploma.

4. Prestonsburg

Population: 2,333
Adults Without High School Diploma: 25.3%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 23.3%

Prestonsburg is another small city in Kentucky with a very high number of uneducated residents. The adults and the kids are both off the charts dumb when you consider their education numbers.

The adults are almost twice as stupid as the average Kentuckian, and the kids are 6 times dumber.

As a result, more than a quarter of the population here lives below the poverty line.

5. Carrollton

Population: 2,551
Adults Without High School Diploma: 24.9%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 14.0%

Both the adults and high schoolers in Carrollton are smarter than the population of Prestonsburg, making them 6th on this list. Still, at a 14% dropout rate, the 16 to 19 year olds need to get their act in gear if they want a different life than that of their parents.

Carrollton lies along the Ohio River.

6. Paintsville

Population: 3,085
Adults Without High School Diploma: 22.2%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 24.1%

In Paintsville, things seem to be getting dumber with time. Adults are pretty uneducated as it is, a full 7% less educated than the state average, but the kids are even worse. Nearly a quarter of the population of teens isn’t currently enrolled in high school, which is 6 times higher than the state average.

7. Louisa

Population: 2,016
Adults Without High School Diploma: 23.1%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 14.0%

While the residents over 25 in Louisa are about as dumb as those in Paintsville, the kids are far smarter, making this little city along the West Virginia line a little brighter than the cities listed above.

However, for the most part, both population groups would need some major tutoring to get back to where most of their peers are, educationally.

8. Leitchfield

Population: 4,384
Adults Without High School Diploma: 25.7%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 8.8%

Due to the high number of uneducated adults, the small town of Leitchfield has many residents living in poverty. The adults are the 9th dumbest in the state, a full 10% dumber than the average Kentucky resident.

However, it looks like the high school kids are getting the message, as their dropout rate is far lower, and ‘only’ 3% points behind the state average.

9. Cynthiana

Population: 4,285
Adults Without High School Diploma: 21.6%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 17.5%

Cynthiana is home to a community college, but it appears as if a lot of the kids won’t be able to take advantage of the educational opportunity here. A whopping 17.5% of them are dropouts according to the latest numbers.

While really high, 21% of the adult population without a GED is actually only the 25th lowest number in the state.

10. Shelbyville

Population: 8,884
Adults Without High School Diploma: 20.5%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 23.8%

Like most of the cities on this list, Shelbyville is far from a major city center. Halfway between Frankfort and Louisville, this small city has seen what was a large dropout adult rate get even worse over time.

At 23.8%, the high school dropout rate here is the 4th highest in the state, and 5 times higher than the state average.

Putting a dunce cap on our analysis

If you’re measuring the locations in Kentucky where there are a high number of teenage dropouts and adults who never received a formal education, this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious, here are the smartest cities in Kentucky: Prospect, Indian Hills, Crestview, Union and Edgewood. The first two are Louisville ‘burbs, and the last three are all Cincinnati suburbs.

Other cities of note: Lexington is far smarter than Louisville. The latter has an adult population of 13% which never completed high school. Lexington’s is 10.7%. And Lexington’s high school kids are twice as smart, when you consider dropout rates.

Bowling Green trends smarter.

Detailed List Of Dumbest Cities In Kentucky

City	Rank	Population	Adults Without High School Diploma	Teenage High School Drop Outs
Beaver Dam	1	2,429	30.7%	23.7%
London	2	5,613	26.0%	24.3%
Lancaster	3	2,458	27.2%	17.3%
Prestonsburg	4	2,333	25.3%	23.3%
Carrollton	5	2,551	24.9%	14.0%
Paintsville	6	3,085	22.2%	24.1%
Louisa	7	2,016	23.1%	14.0%
Leitchfield	8	4,384	25.7%	8.8%
Cynthiana	9	4,285	21.6%	17.5%
Shelbyville	10	8,884	20.5%	23.8%
Middlesborough	11	6,972	31.5%	4.6%
Monticello	12	4,250	33.3%	3.9%
Newport	13	10,457	22.0%	8.6%
Marion	14	2,184	23.4%	5.2%
Somerset	15	7,986	21.0%	9.9%
West Liberty	16	2,431	22.5%	6.3%
Mount Sterling	17	5,003	17.3%	22.4%
Hazard	18	3,819	19.2%	10.1%
Stanford	19	2,331	16.0%	13.3%
Mayfield	20	6,497	24.5%	3.1%
Paris	21	6,347	17.8%	9.1%
Russellville	22	4,906	25.8%	2.7%
Shepherdsville	23	7,033	16.0%	11.7%
Covington	24	27,350	18.1%	7.7%
Campbellsville	25	7,007	18.7%	6.1%
Henderson	26	20,006	15.8%	11.4%
Maysville	27	6,229	19.9%	5.0%
Winchester	28	12,587	20.2%	4.6%
Hillview	29	5,129	14.8%	13.2%
Elsmere	30	5,371	20.2%	4.3%
Versailles	31	6,068	18.2%	5.0%
Lebanon	32	3,654	22.7%	2.7%
Pikeville	33	4,826	22.8%	2.4%
Hodgenville	34	2,352	28.3%	1.1%
Columbia	35	2,957	29.6%	0.0%
Corbin	36	4,823	19.8%	3.0%
Park Hills	37	2,165	8.9%	33.3%
Princeton	38	4,308	12.7%	10.2%
Bardstown	39	7,953	13.1%	9.8%
Glasgow	40	9,627	24.0%	0.0%
Frankfort	41	18,644	14.4%	5.7%
Dayton	42	3,465	16.5%	3.8%
Scottsville	43	2,788	23.0%	0.0%
Crittenden	44	2,151	10.9%	9.9%
Harrodsburg	45	5,594	22.7%	0.0%
Flemingsburg	46	2,030	22.7%	0.0%
Williamsburg	47	3,092	19.5%	2.3%
Greenville	48	3,168	21.9%	0.0%
Ashland	49	15,214	11.9%	7.2%
Providence	50	2,230	21.5%	0.0%
Hopkinsville	51	21,420	15.2%	3.3%
Williamstown	52	2,341	21.4%	0.0%
Lawrenceburg	53	7,439	13.1%	5.1%
Louisville	54	407,132	13.1%	4.9%
Franklin	55	5,599	20.1%	0.0%
Paducah	56	17,856	14.3%	3.7%
Nicholasville	57	18,390	17.4%	1.4%
Radcliff	58	14,251	10.5%	5.4%
Benton	59	3,028	14.7%	3.0%
Ludlow	60	2,904	14.7%	2.9%
Jeffersontown	61	18,762	7.8%	8.5%
Richmond	62	17,391	14.8%	2.3%
Berea	63	8,383	15.9%	1.6%
Shively	64	10,390	17.4%	0.0%
Eddyville	65	2,014	17.2%	0.0%
Elizabethtown	66	19,241	12.1%	3.6%
Central City	67	4,168	16.8%	0.0%
Danville	68	10,692	12.2%	3.0%
Grayson	69	2,519	16.4%	0.0%
Alexandria	70	5,645	6.2%	6.2%
Bowling Green	71	33,390	15.7%	0.8%
Owensboro	72	38,825	14.2%	2.0%
Vine Grove	73	3,720	8.4%	4.9%
Crestwood	74	2,756	6.7%	5.2%
Murray	75	9,038	15.7%	0.3%
Georgetown	76	18,806	12.1%	2.6%
Highland Heights	77	3,805	8.0%	4.3%
Morehead	78	2,993	15.0%	0.0%
Walton	79	2,368	7.8%	4.1%
La Grange	80	5,457	9.5%	2.9%
Crescent Springs	81	2,379	14.0%	0.0%
Lexington-Fayette	82	196,497	10.8%	2.2%
Morganfield	83	2,558	13.9%	0.0%
Madisonville	84	13,612	13.3%	0.0%
Flatwoods	85	5,491	13.2%	0.0%
Florence	86	20,742	11.4%	1.5%
Mount Washington	87	7,712	9.4%	1.7%
Independence	88	15,582	10.0%	1.3%
Bellevue	89	4,306	10.8%	0.0%
Wilmore	90	3,104	10.1%	0.0%
Oak Grove	91	3,562	9.5%	0.0%
Russell	92	2,348	8.7%	0.0%
Erlanger	93	12,597	7.6%	1.0%
Fort Thomas	94	11,094	6.7%	1.2%
Fort Wright	95	3,995	5.4%	2.1%
Taylor Mill	96	4,653	7.5%	0.0%
Douglass Hills	97	4,010	7.1%	0.0%
St. Matthews	98	13,246	5.1%	1.7%
Lyndon	99	7,932	6.2%	0.0%
Southgate	100	2,537	6.2%	0.0%
Graymoor-Devondale	101	2,292	5.9%	0.0%
Wilder	102	2,245	5.9%	0.0%
Hurstbourne	103	3,305	5.6%	0.0%
Villa Hills	104	5,300	5.3%	0.0%
Middletown	105	5,550	4.9%	0.0%
Cold Spring	106	4,522	4.3%	0.0%
Fort Mitchell	107	5,402	3.5%	0.0%
Edgewood	108	5,995	3.3%	0.0%
Union	109	3,164	2.7%	0.0%
Crestview Hills	110	2,249	2.1%	0.0%
Indian Hills	111	2,111	1.2%	0.0%
Prospect	112	3,534	0.9%	0.0%