The unfortunate fact of the matter is that some places in the Bluegrass State have a larger percent of their population that never graduated from high school.
While the emphasis on going to college might be overblown, the fact is that not graduating from high school puts you at a significant disadvantage on average. Educational attainment might not be the best way to measure one person’s intelligence, but it does shine a light on the state.
We will use Saturday Night Science to determine what places in Kentucky have the highest percentage of adults without a high school degree.
A recent study we published found that Kentucky is the 33rd smartest state in the United States, with an average IQ of 98.
But that doesn’t mean that a few cities in Kentucky are a bit slower than others due to a lack of basic education.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Dumbest Places In Kentucky
Don’t freak out.
Some places are just smarter than others, but that says nothing about the character of the people living there. It’s another data point a real estate agent would never tell you.
For this ranking, we only looked at cities with populations greater than 5,000, leaving us 77 cities in Kentucky to rank. You can take a look at the data below.
For more Kentucky reading, check out:
The 10 Dumbest Places In Kentucky For 2026
/10
% Adult High School Dropout: 20.0%
% Highly Educated: 12.0%
More on Leitchfield: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
% Adult High School Dropout: 17.0%
% Highly Educated: 11.0%
More on Lebanon: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
% Adult High School Dropout: 17.0%
% Highly Educated: 13.0%
More on Monticello: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
% Adult High School Dropout: 21.0%
% Highly Educated: 18.0%
More on Middlesborough: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
% Adult High School Dropout: 22.0%
% Highly Educated: 20.0%
More on Williamsburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
% Adult High School Dropout: 14.0%
% Highly Educated: 14.0%
More on Shively: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
% Adult High School Dropout: 15.0%
% Highly Educated: 18.0%
More on London: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
% Adult High School Dropout: 16.0%
% Highly Educated: 19.0%
More on Hillview: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
% Adult High School Dropout: 16.0%
% Highly Educated: 19.0%
More on Somerset: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
% Adult High School Dropout: 12.0%
% Highly Educated: 14.0%
More on Russellville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Methodology: How we determined the dumbest cities in the Bluegrass State
We realize that formal education is only part of it when it comes to being intelligent, but on the other hand, knowing the difference between they’re, their, and there is always going to make you look pretty stupid.
So, we used Saturday Night Science to narrow down our criteria to focus 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 the city’s population with less than a high school education (Age 25+)
- % of city’s population with a college degree (Age 25+)
We got the data from the U.S. Census 2020-2024 American Community Survey.
Then, our algorithm generates a rank for each place in these categories. After crunching all the numbers, a ranking of the cities in Kentucky from dumbest to brightest.
For this ranking, we used every Kentucky city with at least 5,000 residents. We updated this article for 2026, and it’s our eleventh time ranking the dumbest cities in Kentucky.
There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep
If you’re measuring the locations in Kentucky where there are a high number of dropouts and adults who never received a formal education, this is an accurate ranking.
The dumbest cities in Kentucky are Leitchfield, Lebanon, Monticello, Middlesborough, Williamsburg, Shively, London, Hillview, Somerset, and Russellville.
If you’re also curious enough, here are the smartest places in Kentucky, according to science:
- Union
- Douglass Hills
- Fort Thomas
For more Kentucky reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Kentucky
- Cheapest Places To Live In Kentucky
- Most Dangerous Cities In Kentucky
- Richest Cities In Kentucky
- Safest Places In Kentucky
- Worst Places To Live In Kentucky
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Kentucky
Dumbest Cities In Kentucky For 2026
| Rank | City | Population | % Adult High School Dropout | % Highly Educated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leitchfield, KY | 6,819 | 20.0% | 12.0% |
| 2 | Lebanon, KY | 6,430 | 17.0% | 11.0% |
| 3 | Monticello, KY | 5,753 | 17.0% | 13.0% |
| 4 | Middlesborough, KY | 9,123 | 21.0% | 18.0% |
| 5 | Williamsburg, KY | 5,270 | 22.0% | 20.0% |
| 6 | Shively, KY | 15,638 | 14.0% | 14.0% |
| 7 | London, KY | 7,561 | 15.0% | 18.0% |
| 8 | Hillview, KY | 8,797 | 16.0% | 19.0% |
| 9 | Somerset, KY | 12,216 | 16.0% | 19.0% |
| 10 | Russellville, KY | 7,316 | 12.0% | 14.0% |
| 11 | Hazard, KY | 5,008 | 20.0% | 23.0% |
| 12 | Maysville, KY | 8,737 | 14.0% | 20.0% |
| 13 | Radcliff, KY | 22,864 | 12.0% | 18.0% |
| 14 | Henderson, KY | 27,852 | 12.0% | 19.0% |
| 15 | Paris, KY | 10,160 | 15.0% | 24.0% |
| 16 | Campbellsville, KY | 11,622 | 16.0% | 25.0% |
| 17 | Hopkinsville, KY | 30,906 | 14.0% | 23.0% |
| 18 | Princeton, KY | 6,241 | 11.0% | 18.0% |
| 19 | Franklin, KY | 10,360 | 11.0% | 16.0% |
| 20 | Mayfield, KY | 9,868 | 11.0% | 19.0% |
| 21 | Madisonville, KY | 19,515 | 13.0% | 23.0% |
| 22 | Shepherdsville, KY | 14,533 | 10.0% | 18.0% |
| 23 | Glasgow, KY | 15,197 | 11.0% | 22.0% |
| 24 | Oak Grove, KY | 7,962 | 8.0% | 11.0% |
| 25 | Winchester, KY | 19,213 | 11.0% | 23.0% |
| 26 | Dayton, KY | 5,743 | 11.0% | 22.0% |
| 27 | Cynthiana, KY | 6,458 | 8.0% | 15.0% |
| 28 | Berea, KY | 15,786 | 14.0% | 27.0% |
| 29 | Bowling Green, KY | 75,388 | 15.0% | 31.0% |
| 30 | Mount Sterling, KY | 7,551 | 11.0% | 24.0% |
| 31 | Harrodsburg, KY | 9,313 | 10.0% | 21.0% |
| 32 | Shelbyville, KY | 17,668 | 14.0% | 28.0% |
| 33 | Flatwoods, KY | 7,269 | 8.0% | 16.0% |
| 34 | Corbin, KY | 8,246 | 12.0% | 26.0% |
| 35 | Lawrenceburg, KY | 11,943 | 10.0% | 22.0% |
| 36 | Morehead, KY | 6,870 | 14.0% | 30.0% |
| 37 | Elsmere, KY | 9,205 | 10.0% | 24.0% |
| 38 | Versailles, KY | 10,492 | 14.0% | 36.0% |
| 39 | Nicholasville, KY | 32,197 | 11.0% | 27.0% |
| 40 | Pikeville, KY | 7,490 | 15.0% | 40.0% |
| 41 | Bardstown, KY | 13,804 | 11.0% | 27.0% |
| 42 | Owensboro, KY | 60,302 | 10.0% | 26.0% |
| 43 | Ashland, KY | 21,295 | 9.0% | 24.0% |
| 44 | Vine Grove, KY | 6,830 | 8.0% | 25.0% |
| 45 | Danville, KY | 17,327 | 8.0% | 26.0% |
| 46 | Florence, KY | 32,803 | 9.0% | 27.0% |
| 47 | Mount Washington, KY | 18,480 | 8.0% | 26.0% |
| 48 | Frankfort, KY | 28,503 | 9.0% | 28.0% |
| 49 | Newport, KY | 13,967 | 11.0% | 37.0% |
| 50 | Covington, KY | 41,110 | 10.0% | 33.0% |
| 51 | Richmond, KY | 37,111 | 10.0% | 35.0% |
| 52 | Paducah, KY | 26,845 | 8.0% | 29.0% |
| 53 | Murray, KY | 18,080 | 9.0% | 37.0% |
| 54 | Erlanger, KY | 19,875 | 7.0% | 32.0% |
| 55 | Elizabethtown, KY | 32,576 | 5.0% | 29.0% |
| 56 | Taylor Mill, KY | 6,937 | 8.0% | 39.0% |
| 57 | Alexandria, KY | 10,562 | 5.0% | 35.0% |
| 58 | Georgetown, KY | 39,117 | 5.0% | 35.0% |
| 59 | Walton, KY | 5,730 | 5.0% | 33.0% |
| 60 | La Grange, KY | 10,311 | 5.0% | 39.0% |
| 61 | Independence, KY | 29,392 | 5.0% | 37.0% |
| 62 | Jeffersontown, KY | 29,199 | 5.0% | 40.0% |
| 63 | Fort Wright, KY | 5,887 | 6.0% | 45.0% |
| 64 | Lyndon, KY | 11,030 | 5.0% | 44.0% |
| 65 | Highland Heights, KY | 6,444 | 4.0% | 42.0% |
| 66 | Cold Spring, KY | 6,341 | 4.0% | 43.0% |
| 67 | Crestwood, KY | 6,356 | 4.0% | 47.0% |
| 68 | Fort Mitchell, KY | 8,713 | 4.0% | 47.0% |
| 69 | Bellevue, KY | 5,636 | 3.0% | 43.0% |
| 70 | Middletown, KY | 9,763 | 4.0% | 52.0% |
| 71 | Wilmore, KY | 6,057 | 4.0% | 49.0% |
| 72 | Villa Hills, KY | 7,480 | 3.0% | 51.0% |
| 73 | St. Matthews, KY | 17,577 | 4.0% | 59.0% |
| 74 | Edgewood, KY | 8,447 | 3.0% | 55.0% |
| 75 | Fort Thomas, KY | 17,169 | 3.0% | 55.0% |
| 76 | Douglass Hills, KY | 5,474 | 3.0% | 60.0% |
| 77 | Union, KY | 7,642 | 1.0% | 59.0% |
I live in Beaver Dam, Kentucky and I am very proud to live here. You have wrote an article to belittle and make fun of people, and of course you choose Kentucky as your state. The data that you mentioned may be out there and may even be true, but at least the people that live in this town are kind hearted and good natured, and better people than you ever dreamt of being. Have a nice day and think before you type next time!
The only thing dumb in this is to think that a High School Diploma is a sign of intellegence, it’s not, it’s a sign you can conform to what society (ie the state) wants from you and not what you want for your self. I earn twice the national average and have an IQ of 134, may not be Mensa but certianly not dumb
“certainly ” not
It’s who you’re kin to in KY or can stick a few bucks in the right pocket. I knew a guy that graduated from high school who could not read a no trespassing sign.
I used to live there. In fact grew up there. I don’t visit anymore because everytime I did I lost IQ points. I’m just saying……
Using dropout rates and/or GEDs as a base? Ha! Worst state to do that with! I know many people throughout the state. That add to your “dumb” credentials that could shame a college student. This is why statistics fail; they don’t get the true idea. True, our state’s education isn’t the best and from what it seems, in some places at least, it has gotten worse since the 90s. I am glad to say that i stuck out through school and have my diploma. It doesn’t mean much to be honest, but I have it.
I believe this is some kind of Common Core research.
Toss out your Herrnstein and Murray and pick up a copy of Stephen Jay Gould’s The Mismeasure of Man.
As former Superintendent of Public Education in Kentucky I would like to say that I found your survey interesting, however the most important question was not included in your intelligence determining criteria.
QUESTION:
WHAT IS THE PERCENTAGE OF YOUR POPULATION THAT BELIIEVE JESUS CHRIST IS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOUR?
NO DEGREES REQUIRED!
PRAISE THE LORD AND PASS THE AMMUNITION OF GODLY PRINCIPLES AND LOVE.
Propaganda goes into determining what kids are supposed to learn and not learn in public schools. Liberal arts classes are garbage as far as providing worthwhile information to minds. Very few high school graduates can balance a checkbook, know who really funds a bank loan, know that cancer cells can’t survive if the cells inside the body are in an alkaline environment, or know the fact that the District of Columbia is a foreign territory. Accounting, economics, history, science, and political science classes are filled with speculative and false information. Students are not taught to question anything. The ultimate goal is to dumb down future generations.
A BA college degree was as waste of valuable time and effort for me. Getting a job today is all about what your last name is or who you are.
Many of your populations are off. Also think about this statement at the beginning of your article… “In fact, a recent Washington Post study found it to be a little smarter than Indiana, but a little smarter than Oklahoma”. Ironic that you’re calling other people dumb.
You didn’t even use a picture for beaver dam. That’s not even in beaver dam. Snd you’re calling others stupid? GTFOH!
KY is all bad. They only hire their kin people to work. The roads are terrible, thieves run rampant, you can’t find a good lawyer when you need one that wont rip you off. Do your homework if you want to move hear.