Counties with the most college graduates in Kentucky
Counties with the most college graduates in Kentucky
The American philosopher and psychologist John Dewey once said, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” Dewey advocated for an educational paradigm called pragmatism, which stresses the importance of learning academic concepts by experiencing them firsthand, instead of through lecture and repetition in a classroom.
While the philosophy is used by many educators (especially those working in fields where the value of work experience exceeds the value placed on an academic background), many people take great pride in their formal educational credentials because of the valuable skills such educations provided and because of the immense amount of work that goes into earning a degree.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most college graduates in Kentucky using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest percent of the population 25 years and over that has a Bachelor’s degree or higher.
Keep reading to see which counties in your state have the most college graduates.
#30. Washington County
- Less than high school diploma: 16% ($25,771 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 42.4% ($30,318)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 22.8% ($36,016)
- Bachelor's degree: 9.3% ($51,500)
- Graduate or professional degree: 9.4% ($47,122)
#29. Marshall County
- Less than high school diploma: 11.4% ($21,719 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 38.2% ($35,688)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 31.2% ($36,754)
- Bachelor's degree: 10.9% ($59,531)
- Graduate or professional degree: 8.3% ($54,831)
#28. Meade County
- Less than high school diploma: 11.3% ($20,886 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 35.5% ($30,554)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 33.8% ($40,565)
- Bachelor's degree: 10.9% ($50,086)
- Graduate or professional degree: 8.5% ($59,848)
#27. Boyd County
- Less than high school diploma: 11.8% ($17,950 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 33.9% ($26,565)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 35% ($31,699)
- Bachelor's degree: 10.6% ($48,958)
- Graduate or professional degree: 8.8% ($53,850)
#26. Bourbon County
- Less than high school diploma: 16% ($19,583 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 35.6% ($28,403)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 28.9% ($36,233)
- Bachelor's degree: 12.1% ($48,026)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7.3% ($57,675)
#25. Mason County
- Less than high school diploma: 13.7% ($25,923 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 34.7% ($35,590)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 32.1% ($31,875)
- Bachelor's degree: 10.4% ($54,009)
- Graduate or professional degree: 9% ($57,867)
#24. Taylor County
- Less than high school diploma: 12.9% ($25,859 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 39.2% ($28,889)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 28.4% ($30,527)
- Bachelor's degree: 10.3% ($29,071)
- Graduate or professional degree: 9.3% ($51,543)
#23. Clark County
- Less than high school diploma: 13.8% ($22,069 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 34.3% ($30,960)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 31.8% ($34,648)
- Bachelor's degree: 12.8% ($50,863)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7.3% ($60,203)
#22. Anderson County
- Less than high school diploma: 10.1% ($22,774 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 36.6% ($29,566)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 33.1% ($36,868)
- Bachelor's degree: 12.2% ($45,267)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7.9% ($52,974)
#21. Spencer County
- Less than high school diploma: 9.7% ($27,685 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 36.3% ($37,229)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 33.8% ($45,592)
- Bachelor's degree: 12.3% ($55,029)
- Graduate or professional degree: 7.9% ($62,365)
#20. Whitley County
- Less than high school diploma: 18.5% ($23,703 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 36.9% ($23,443)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 24% ($26,062)
- Bachelor's degree: 10.4% ($36,842)
- Graduate or professional degree: 10% ($52,951)
#19. Hardin County
- Less than high school diploma: 9.4% ($20,278 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 30.4% ($28,611)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 38.1% ($38,099)
- Bachelor's degree: 12.4% ($52,395)
- Graduate or professional degree: 9.6% ($60,208)
#18. Daviess County
- Less than high school diploma: 10% ($25,377 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 34.1% ($32,994)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 32.9% ($33,715)
- Bachelor's degree: 13.9% ($48,595)
- Graduate or professional degree: 9% ($60,346)
#17. McCracken County
- Less than high school diploma: 9.6% ($21,586 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 31.4% ($28,488)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 34.8% ($30,737)
- Bachelor's degree: 15% ($50,306)
- Graduate or professional degree: 9.3% ($60,828)
#16. Shelby County
- Less than high school diploma: 13.5% ($18,291 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 30.3% ($32,857)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 31.3% ($37,788)
- Bachelor's degree: 14.8% ($53,400)
- Graduate or professional degree: 10.1% ($61,304)
#15. Rowan County
- Less than high school diploma: 15.8% ($10,549 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 33.4% ($25,369)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 25.7% ($24,538)
- Bachelor's degree: 11.7% ($38,984)
- Graduate or professional degree: 13.3% ($58,139)
#14. Boyle County
- Less than high school diploma: 12.9% ($24,632 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 33.5% ($26,503)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 28.5% ($33,001)
- Bachelor's degree: 13.5% ($44,450)
- Graduate or professional degree: 11.6% ($51,789)
#13. Scott County
- Less than high school diploma: 9.1% ($21,115 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 30.3% ($33,824)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 32.3% ($40,640)
- Bachelor's degree: 17.2% ($55,757)
- Graduate or professional degree: 11.2% ($64,384)
#12. Calloway County
- Less than high school diploma: 10.5% ($25,988 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 32.1% ($25,483)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 28.8% ($30,668)
- Bachelor's degree: 15.4% ($32,687)
- Graduate or professional degree: 13.1% ($55,142)
#11. Jessamine County
- Less than high school diploma: 12.7% ($25,348 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 30.5% ($31,924)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 27.3% ($31,419)
- Bachelor's degree: 17.6% ($48,019)
- Graduate or professional degree: 11.9% ($64,163)
#10. Franklin County
- Less than high school diploma: 11% ($21,076 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 31.3% ($30,972)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 27.7% ($32,979)
- Bachelor's degree: 18.5% ($47,064)
- Graduate or professional degree: 11.4% ($52,224)
#9. Madison County
- Less than high school diploma: 12.5% ($21,778 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 28.1% ($30,866)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 28.6% ($32,128)
- Bachelor's degree: 18% ($45,498)
- Graduate or professional degree: 12.8% ($57,141)
#8. Kenton County
- Less than high school diploma: 10.1% ($25,458 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 28.7% ($32,181)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 29.4% ($40,629)
- Bachelor's degree: 19.6% ($53,537)
- Graduate or professional degree: 12.1% ($62,720)
#7. Boone County
- Less than high school diploma: 6.8% ($25,041 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 27.5% ($34,574)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 33.5% ($42,440)
- Bachelor's degree: 20.7% ($66,684)
- Graduate or professional degree: 11.4% ($64,267)
#6. Warren County
- Less than high school diploma: 11.9% ($24,726 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 26.6% ($29,759)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 29.3% ($31,011)
- Bachelor's degree: 19.4% ($47,930)
- Graduate or professional degree: 12.8% ($55,979)

#5. Jefferson County
- Less than high school diploma: 9.4% ($21,890 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 26.7% ($30,556)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 30.5% ($36,129)
- Bachelor's degree: 19.8% ($51,303)
- Graduate or professional degree: 13.6% ($64,871)
#4. Woodford County
- Less than high school diploma: 9% ($21,610 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 29.8% ($31,073)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 27.5% ($32,277)
- Bachelor's degree: 20.1% ($50,593)
- Graduate or professional degree: 13.7% ($59,567)
#3. Campbell County
- Less than high school diploma: 9.2% ($21,988 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 28.2% ($34,347)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 26.2% ($38,538)
- Bachelor's degree: 23.5% ($53,479)
- Graduate or professional degree: 12.8% ($65,381)
#2. Oldham County
- Less than high school diploma: 6.2% ($23,233 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 20.7% ($36,539)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 30.8% ($42,730)
- Bachelor's degree: 25.1% ($64,661)
- Graduate or professional degree: 17.3% ($90,180)
#1. Fayette County
- Less than high school diploma: 8.7% ($20,396 median earnings)
- High school graduate: 19.6% ($26,907)
- Some college or Associate's degree: 28% ($32,256)
- Bachelor's degree: 24.4% ($48,926)
- Graduate or professional degree: 19.3% ($61,825)