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State Profile

Kentucky

Population (2024): 4,393,500 million

Kentucky’s public health outcomes and emergency preparedness generally trails those of other states. According to TFAH’s 2025 Ready or Not: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism report, the state placed in the middle performance tier for public health emergency preparedness. Deaths within the state due to drug misuse, alcohol, or suicide were higher than the average for other states. Based on the 2024 data the percentage of adults with obesity within the state is higher than the U.S. median. Rates of diabetes are also higher than the U.S. median.

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State Related News

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Dec 2025 New Report Examines State Policies that Support Good Health and Analyzes the Legislative Landscape for their Implementation
Nov 2025 Statement from J. Nadine Gracia, M.D., MSCE, President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health on Changes to CDC Webpage on Vaccines and Autism:
Sep 2025 The Number of People in the U.S. Serving as Informal Caregivers is Growing, Yet Support and Assistance for Them is Shrinking, According to New Policy Brief

Kentucky at a glance

45.1

Percent of population (age 6 months or older) who received seasonal flu vaccination, 2023-24

Middle Tier

Public health emergency preparedness performance tier (High, Middle, Low), 2024

n/a

Percent of adults who have hypertension, 2024

16.7

Percent of adults who have diabetes, 2024

18.7

Percent of children age 6-17 who have obesity, 2022-23

37.2

Percent of adults who have obesity, 2024

78.1

Deaths related to alcohol, drugs, or suicide (per 100,000), 2023

17.5

Suicide deaths (per 100,000), 2023

48.0

Drug-related deaths (per 100,000), 2023

12.0

Alcohol-related deaths (per 100,000), 2023

Data in Detail

Discover Kentucky

Check these TFAH reports for latest state-specific data:

Ready or Not 2025: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism Read More
Public Health Infrastructure in Crisis: HHS Workforce Cuts, Reorganizations, and Funding Reductions: Impacts and Solutions 2025 Read More
Pain in the Nation 2025: the Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths Read More
State of Obesity 2025: Better Policies for a Healthier America Read More

Spotlight On

Kentucky

Featured

Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center’s Work to Prevent Substance Misuse

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