U.S. counties and county equivalents; below-poverty population as share of poverty-status universe; %, 2020–2024.
Poverty rates are compared across U.S. counties and county equivalents for 2020–2024. Values are ACS percent estimates using each geography’s matching numerator and denominator. Knox County, Kentucky ranks first at 36.9%, 0.55 percentage points above Holmes County, Mississippi. McKinley County, New Mexico is the final listed row at 33.24%, making the first value 1.11x the final listed value.
| Rank | Entry | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Knox County, Kentucky | 36.9% | 2020–2024 |
| 2 | Holmes County, Mississippi | 36.36% | 2020–2024 |
| 3 | Coahoma County, Mississippi | 35.51% | 2020–2024 |
| 4 | Starr County, Texas | 33.52% | 2020–2024 |
| 5 | McKinley County, New Mexico | 33.24% | 2020–2024 |
Source 1: 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates: Poverty rate
Publisher: U.S. Census Bureau
Dataset/table: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
Units: percent
Date checked: 2026-06-28
Evidence: Supports 2020–2024 poverty rate values, numerator/denominator values, 90% margins of error and geography labels used in this ranking.
ACS percentages are survey estimates and are subject to sampling error. Close point estimates may have overlapping confidence intervals. Each geography has its own denominator, so the values are rates or shares within that geography rather than parts of a common total.
The ranking uses American Community Survey 5-year estimates for the stated rate or share across U.S. counties and county equivalents. Each percentage uses the Census numerator and matching denominator for the same geography. Entries are ordered from highest to lowest after ACS reliability checks. Geographies outside the stated scope are excluded.
All entries use the same Census source family, ACS product, 2020–2024 period, percent unit and reliability rules. No years, products or measurement units are mixed.
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