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 34th smartest state in the United States, with an average IQ of 99.
But that doesn’t mean that a few cities in Kentucky are a bit slower than others due to a lack of basic education.
#1 dumbest in Kentucky
Located in
Grayson County, Kentucky
Leitchfield is the county seat of Grayson County, Kentucky, United States. Leitchfield is a home rule-class city with a population of 6,699 as of the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#2 dumbest in Kentucky
Located in
Marion County, Kentucky
Lebanon is a home rule-class city in Marion County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 6,331 at the 2010 census. It is the seat of its county. Lebanon is located in central Kentucky, southeast of Louisville. A national cemetery is located nearby.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#3 dumbest in Kentucky
Located in
Wayne County, Kentucky
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#4 dumbest in Kentucky
Located in
Bell County, Kentucky
Middlesboro is a home rule-class city in Bell County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 10,334 at the 2010 U.S. census, while its micropolitan area had a population of 69,060.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#5 dumbest in Kentucky
Williamsburg is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Whitley County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 5,245 at the 2010 census. The city was founded in 1818 and named after William Whitley. The Cumberland River flows through the city.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#6 dumbest in Kentucky
Located in
Jefferson County, Kentucky
Shively is a home rule-class city in Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States and a suburb of Louisville within the Louisville Metro government. As of the 2010 Census, the city’s population was 15,264, reflecting an increase of 107 from 15,157 in 2000.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#7 dumbest in Kentucky
Located in
Laurel County, Kentucky
London is a home rule-class city in Laurel County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 7,993 at the time of the 2010 U.S. census. London, Kentucky, is the second-largest city named London in the United States and the fourth-largest in the world. It is part of the London, Kentucky micropolitan area. Of the seventeen micropolitan areas in Kentucky, London is the largest; the London micropolitan area’s 2010 Census population was 126,369. London is also home to the annual World Chicken Festival that celebrates the life of Colonel Sanders and features the world’s largest skillet.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#8 dumbest in Kentucky
Located in
Bullitt County, Kentucky
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#9 dumbest in Kentucky
Located in
Pulaski County, Kentucky
Somerset is a home rule-class city in Pulaski County, Kentucky, United States. The city population was 11,196 according to the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#10 dumbest in Kentucky
Located in
Logan County, Kentucky
Russellville is a home rule-class city in Logan County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 6,947 at the time of the 2010 U.S. Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Kentucky’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Kentucky’s dumbest cities are
Saturday Night Science
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.
The full plate
Dumbest Cities In Kentucky For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | % Adult High School Dropout | % Highly Educated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leitchfield | 6,819 | 20.0% | 12.0% |
| 2 | Lebanon | 6,430 | 17.0% | 11.0% |
| 3 | Monticello | 5,753 | 17.0% | 13.0% |
| 4 | Middlesborough | 9,123 | 21.0% | 18.0% |
| 5 | Williamsburg | 5,270 | 22.0% | 20.0% |
| 6 | Shively | 15,638 | 14.0% | 14.0% |
| 7 | London | 7,561 | 15.0% | 18.0% |
| 8 | Hillview | 8,797 | 16.0% | 19.0% |
| 9 | Somerset | 12,216 | 16.0% | 19.0% |
| 10 | Russellville | 7,316 | 12.0% | 14.0% |
| 11 | Hazard | 5,008 | 20.0% | 23.0% |
| 12 | Maysville | 8,737 | 14.0% | 20.0% |
| 13 | Radcliff | 22,864 | 12.0% | 18.0% |
| 14 | Henderson | 27,852 | 12.0% | 19.0% |
| 15 | Paris | 10,160 | 15.0% | 24.0% |
| 16 | Campbellsville | 11,622 | 16.0% | 25.0% |
| 17 | Hopkinsville | 30,906 | 14.0% | 23.0% |
| 18 | Princeton | 6,241 | 11.0% | 18.0% |
| 19 | Franklin | 10,360 | 11.0% | 16.0% |
| 20 | Mayfield | 9,868 | 11.0% | 19.0% |
| 21 | Madisonville | 19,515 | 13.0% | 23.0% |
| 22 | Shepherdsville | 14,533 | 10.0% | 18.0% |
| 23 | Glasgow | 15,197 | 11.0% | 22.0% |
| 24 | Oak Grove | 7,962 | 8.0% | 11.0% |
| 25 | Winchester | 19,213 | 11.0% | 23.0% |
| 26 | Dayton | 5,743 | 11.0% | 22.0% |
| 27 | Cynthiana | 6,458 | 8.0% | 15.0% |
| 28 | Berea | 15,786 | 14.0% | 27.0% |
| 29 | Bowling Green | 75,388 | 15.0% | 31.0% |
| 30 | Mount Sterling | 7,551 | 11.0% | 24.0% |
| 31 | Harrodsburg | 9,313 | 10.0% | 21.0% |
| 32 | Shelbyville | 17,668 | 14.0% | 28.0% |
| 33 | Flatwoods | 7,269 | 8.0% | 16.0% |
| 34 | Corbin | 8,246 | 12.0% | 26.0% |
| 35 | Lawrenceburg | 11,943 | 10.0% | 22.0% |
| 36 | Morehead | 6,870 | 14.0% | 30.0% |
| 37 | Elsmere | 9,205 | 10.0% | 24.0% |
| 38 | Versailles | 10,492 | 14.0% | 36.0% |
| 39 | Nicholasville | 32,197 | 11.0% | 27.0% |
| 40 | Pikeville | 7,490 | 15.0% | 40.0% |
| 41 | Bardstown | 13,804 | 11.0% | 27.0% |
| 42 | Owensboro | 60,302 | 10.0% | 26.0% |
| 43 | Ashland | 21,295 | 9.0% | 24.0% |
| 44 | Vine Grove | 6,830 | 8.0% | 25.0% |
| 45 | Danville | 17,327 | 8.0% | 26.0% |
| 46 | Florence | 32,803 | 9.0% | 27.0% |
| 47 | Mount Washington | 18,480 | 8.0% | 26.0% |
| 48 | Frankfort | 28,503 | 9.0% | 28.0% |
| 49 | Newport | 13,967 | 11.0% | 37.0% |
| 50 | Covington | 41,110 | 10.0% | 33.0% |
| 51 | Richmond | 37,111 | 10.0% | 35.0% |
| 52 | Paducah | 26,845 | 8.0% | 29.0% |
| 53 | Murray | 18,080 | 9.0% | 37.0% |
| 54 | Erlanger | 19,875 | 7.0% | 32.0% |
| 55 | Elizabethtown | 32,576 | 5.0% | 29.0% |
| 56 | Taylor Mill | 6,937 | 8.0% | 39.0% |
| 57 | Alexandria | 10,562 | 5.0% | 35.0% |
| 58 | Georgetown | 39,117 | 5.0% | 35.0% |
| 59 | Walton | 5,730 | 5.0% | 33.0% |
| 60 | La Grange | 10,311 | 5.0% | 39.0% |
| 61 | Independence | 29,392 | 5.0% | 37.0% |
| 62 | Jeffersontown | 29,199 | 5.0% | 40.0% |
| 63 | Fort Wright | 5,887 | 6.0% | 45.0% |
| 64 | Lyndon | 11,030 | 5.0% | 44.0% |
| 65 | Highland Heights | 6,444 | 4.0% | 42.0% |
| 66 | Cold Spring | 6,341 | 4.0% | 43.0% |
| 67 | Crestwood | 6,356 | 4.0% | 47.0% |
| 68 | Fort Mitchell | 8,713 | 4.0% | 47.0% |
| 69 | Bellevue | 5,636 | 3.0% | 43.0% |
| 70 | Middletown | 9,763 | 4.0% | 52.0% |
| 71 | Wilmore | 6,057 | 4.0% | 49.0% |
| 72 | Villa Hills | 7,480 | 3.0% | 51.0% |
| 73 | St. Matthews | 17,577 | 4.0% | 59.0% |
| 74 | Edgewood | 8,447 | 3.0% | 55.0% |
| 75 | Fort Thomas | 17,169 | 3.0% | 55.0% |
| 76 | Douglass Hills | 5,474 | 3.0% | 60.0% |
| 77 | Union | 7,642 | 1.0% | 59.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 77 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
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. Not sold on Kentucky? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Dumbest Places In Kentucky FAQs
What is the dumbest city in Kentucky?
Leitchfield is the dumbest place in Kentucky for 2026, going purely by adult educational attainment. Lebanon and Monticello are next.
What are the dumbest places in Kentucky?
The dumbest places in Kentucky are Leitchfield, Lebanon, Monticello, Middlesborough, Williamsburg, Shively, London, Hillview, Somerset, and Russellville. We ranked all 77 cities with more than 5,000 residents on adult high-school-dropout and college-degree shares.
Is Kentucky a smart state?
Kentucky ranks as the 34th smartest state in the country, with an average IQ of 99. City by city, though, the attainment numbers swing a lot — which is what this ranking maps.
What is the smartest place in Kentucky?
Union is the smartest place in Kentucky by this measure, with the best educational attainment numbers of the 77 cities we ranked.
Does this actually measure how smart people are?
No — it measures schooling, not smarts. The ranking counts adults without a high school diploma and adults with a college degree, straight from Census American Community Survey data, and diplomas are not the same thing as intelligence.
