46. Kentucky
> Median household income: $45,215
> Population: 4,425,092 (25th lowest)
> 2015 Unemployment rate: 5.4% (20th highest)
> Poverty rate: 18.5% (5th highest)
Like most states, Kentucky’s median household income of $45,215 a year has increased since 2014, when the median income, adjusted for inflation, was $43,014 a year. Residents are still quite poor, however. Kentucky’s poverty rate of 18.5% is the fifth highest poverty rate of all states. While no guarantee, a college degree substantially improves the odds of finding a job with a good wage. In Kentucky, just 23.3% of adults have a bachelor’s degree, considerably lower than the national college attainment rate of 30.6%.