| Rank |
County |
Subtotal, Farming Subsidies
1995-2012 | Pct of
Total | Running
Percentage |
| 1 | Christian County, Kentucky | $109,403,524 | 5.0% | 5.0% |
| 2 | Logan County, Kentucky | $94,286,419 | 4.3% | 9.4% |
| 3 | Daviess County, Kentucky | $93,013,260 | 4.3% | 13.7% |
| 4 | Union County, Kentucky | $91,189,452 | 4.2% | 17.9% |
| 5 | Henderson County, Kentucky | $88,094,482 | 4.1% | 21.9% |
| 6 | Graves County, Kentucky | $85,411,070 | 3.9% | 25.9% |
| 7 | Todd County, Kentucky | $68,050,688 | 3.1% | 29.0% |
| 8 | McLean County, Kentucky | $58,845,838 | 2.7% | 31.7% |
| 9 | Calloway County, Kentucky | $58,295,506 | 2.7% | 34.4% |
| 10 | Hickman County, Kentucky | $55,285,128 | 2.5% | 36.9% |
| 11 | Simpson County, Kentucky | $53,924,971 | 2.5% | 39.4% |
| 12 | Webster County, Kentucky | $49,698,460 | 2.3% | 41.7% |
| 13 | Warren County, Kentucky | $46,700,780 | 2.2% | 43.8% |
| 14 | Fulton County, Kentucky | $41,298,996 | 1.9% | 45.7% |
| 15 | Ballard County, Kentucky | $39,022,695 | 1.8% | 47.5% |
| 16 | Breckinridge County, Kentucky | $37,624,460 | 1.7% | 49.3% |
| 17 | Hardin County, Kentucky | $36,765,580 | 1.7% | 51.0% |
| 18 | Barren County, Kentucky | $36,078,078 | 1.7% | 52.6% |
| 19 | Ohio County, Kentucky | $34,910,947 | 1.6% | 54.2% |
| 20 | Hopkins County, Kentucky | $33,235,854 | 1.5% | 55.8% |
| 21 | Carlisle County, Kentucky | $31,897,559 | 1.5% | 57.2% |
| 22 | Shelby County, Kentucky | $30,200,790 | 1.4% | 58.6% |
| 23 | Caldwell County, Kentucky | $30,041,931 | 1.4% | 60.0% |
| 24 | Trigg County, Kentucky | $28,216,161 | 1.3% | 61.3% |
| 25 | Marion County, Kentucky | $25,711,744 | 1.2% | 62.5% |
| 26 | Larue County, Kentucky | $24,879,823 | 1.1% | 63.6% |
| 27 | Nelson County, Kentucky | $24,483,310 | 1.1% | 64.8% |
| 28 | Grayson County, Kentucky | $22,422,188 | 1.0% | 65.8% |
| 29 | McCracken County, Kentucky | $21,026,890 | 1.0% | 66.8% |
| 30 | Butler County, Kentucky | $20,813,234 | 1.0% | 67.7% |
| 31 | Adair County, Kentucky | $20,555,972 | 0.9% | 68.7% |
| 32 | Taylor County, Kentucky | $20,542,007 | 0.9% | 69.6% |
| 33 | Fleming County, Kentucky | $20,261,200 | 0.9% | 70.6% |
| 34 | Pulaski County, Kentucky | $19,572,501 | 0.9% | 71.5% |
| 35 | Meade County, Kentucky | $19,441,775 | 0.9% | 72.3% |
| 36 | Bourbon County, Kentucky | $19,434,239 | 0.9% | 73.2% |
| 37 | Hart County, Kentucky | $19,148,686 | 0.9% | 74.1% |
| 38 | Muhlenberg County, Kentucky | $18,246,760 | 0.8% | 75.0% |
| 39 | Lincoln County, Kentucky | $17,866,087 | 0.8% | 75.8% |
| 40 | Fayette County, Kentucky | $17,580,778 | 0.8% | 76.6% |
| 41 | Mason County, Kentucky | $17,569,745 | 0.8% | 77.4% |
| 42 | Henry County, Kentucky | $17,204,877 | 0.8% | 78.2% |
| 43 | Crittenden County, Kentucky | $15,364,040 | 0.7% | 78.9% |
| 44 | Marshall County, Kentucky | $15,225,996 | 0.7% | 79.6% |
| 45 | Livingston County, Kentucky | $15,123,026 | 0.7% | 80.3% |
| 46 | Scott County, Kentucky | $14,987,005 | 0.7% | 81.0% |
| 47 | Madison County, Kentucky | $14,589,440 | 0.7% | 81.7% |
| 48 | Harrison County, Kentucky | $14,448,333 | 0.7% | 82.3% |
| 49 | Washington County, Kentucky | $14,423,806 | 0.7% | 83.0% |
| 50 | Green County, Kentucky | $14,013,089 | 0.6% | 83.6% |
| 51 | Woodford County, Kentucky | $13,528,543 | 0.6% | 84.3% |
| 52 | Casey County, Kentucky | $13,487,898 | 0.6% | 84.9% |
| 53 | Allen County, Kentucky | $13,293,709 | 0.6% | 85.5% |
| 54 | Hancock County, Kentucky | $12,873,563 | 0.6% | 86.1% |
| 55 | Monroe County, Kentucky | $12,323,634 | 0.6% | 86.7% |
| 56 | Metcalfe County, Kentucky | $11,475,998 | 0.5% | 87.2% |
| 57 | Owen County, Kentucky | $11,359,359 | 0.5% | 87.7% |
| 58 | Clark County, Kentucky | $11,303,026 | 0.5% | 88.2% |
| 59 | Mercer County, Kentucky | $11,294,688 | 0.5% | 88.7% |
| 60 | Russell County, Kentucky | $11,202,677 | 0.5% | 89.3% |
| 61 | Spencer County, Kentucky | $10,620,668 | 0.5% | 89.8% |
| 62 | Jessamine County, Kentucky | $9,953,013 | 0.5% | 90.2% |
| 63 | Wayne County, Kentucky | $9,423,614 | 0.4% | 90.6% |
| 64 | Garrard County, Kentucky | $9,223,646 | 0.4% | 91.1% |
| 65 | Bath County, Kentucky | $9,001,244 | 0.4% | 91.5% |
| 66 | Bracken County, Kentucky | $8,698,334 | 0.4% | 91.9% |
| 67 | Lyon County, Kentucky | $8,514,104 | 0.4% | 92.3% |
| 68 | Montgomery County, Kentucky | $8,082,443 | 0.4% | 92.6% |
| 69 | Lewis County, Kentucky | $8,014,615 | 0.4% | 93.0% |
| 70 | Oldham County, Kentucky | $7,928,480 | 0.4% | 93.4% |
| 71 | Edmonson County, Kentucky | $7,528,661 | 0.3% | 93.7% |
| 72 | Boyle County, Kentucky | $7,237,771 | 0.3% | 94.1% |
| 73 | Pendleton County, Kentucky | $7,108,396 | 0.3% | 94.4% |
| 74 | Franklin County, Kentucky | $6,878,271 | 0.3% | 94.7% |
| 75 | Boone County, Kentucky | $6,628,994 | 0.3% | 95.0% |
| 76 | Grant County, Kentucky | $6,397,726 | 0.3% | 95.3% |
| 77 | Trimble County, Kentucky | $6,287,547 | 0.3% | 95.6% |
| 78 | Nicholas County, Kentucky | $6,071,401 | 0.3% | 95.9% |
| 79 | Laurel County, Kentucky | $5,662,122 | 0.3% | 96.1% |
| 80 | Carroll County, Kentucky | $5,458,476 | 0.3% | 96.4% |
| 81 | Cumberland County, Kentucky | $5,344,272 | 0.2% | 96.6% |
| 82 | Rockcastle County, Kentucky | $5,258,601 | 0.2% | 96.9% |
| 83 | Bullitt County, Kentucky | $4,877,974 | 0.2% | 97.1% |
| 84 | Anderson County, Kentucky | $4,834,291 | 0.2% | 97.3% |
| 85 | Clinton County, Kentucky | $4,611,031 | 0.2% | 97.5% |
| 86 | Morgan County, Kentucky | $4,233,823 | 0.2% | 97.7% |
| 87 | Jackson County, Kentucky | $3,857,732 | 0.2% | 97.9% |
| 88 | Carter County, Kentucky | $3,487,595 | 0.2% | 98.1% |
| 89 | Gallatin County, Kentucky | $3,300,466 | 0.2% | 98.2% |
| 90 | Estill County, Kentucky | $3,154,944 | 0.1% | 98.4% |
| 91 | Greenup County, Kentucky | $2,939,089 | 0.1% | 98.5% |
| 92 | Robertson County, Kentucky | $2,839,900 | 0.1% | 98.6% |
| 93 | Wolfe County, Kentucky | $2,702,410 | 0.1% | 98.8% |
| 94 | Clay County, Kentucky | $2,700,514 | 0.1% | 98.9% |
| 95 | Rowan County, Kentucky | $2,641,762 | 0.1% | 99.0% |
| 96 | Jefferson County, Kentucky | $2,425,997 | 0.1% | 99.1% |
| 97 | Magoffin County, Kentucky | $2,086,815 | 0.1% | 99.2% |
| 98 | Powell County, Kentucky | $2,083,213 | 0.1% | 99.3% |
| 99 | Elliott County, Kentucky | $1,803,345 | 0.1% | 99.4% |
| 100 | Kenton County, Kentucky | $1,803,013 | 0.1% | 99.5% |
| 101 | Owsley County, Kentucky | $1,787,331 | 0.1% | 99.6% |
| 102 | Breathitt County, Kentucky | $1,467,367 | 0.1% | 99.6% |
| 103 | Menifee County, Kentucky | $1,393,688 | 0.1% | 99.7% |
| 104 | Knox County, Kentucky | $1,247,131 | 0.1% | 99.7% |
| 105 | Whitley County, Kentucky | $1,143,085 | 0.1% | 99.8% |
| 106 | Campbell County, Kentucky | $1,104,282 | 0.1% | 99.8% |
| 107 | Lawrence County, Kentucky | $927,657 | 0.0% | 99.9% |
| 108 | Lee County, Kentucky | $911,296 | 0.0% | 99.9% |
| 109 | Johnson County, Kentucky | $823,241 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 110 | McCreary County, Kentucky | $193,628 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 111 | Boyd County, Kentucky | $149,468 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 112 | Perry County, Kentucky | $103,374 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 113 | Leslie County, Kentucky | $102,330 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 114 | Bell County, Kentucky | $55,079 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 115 | Floyd County, Kentucky | $11,376 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 116 | Pike County, Kentucky | $10,107 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 117 | Letcher County, Kentucky | $4,776 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 118 | Knott County, Kentucky | $3,305 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 119 | Martin County, Kentucky | $895 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
Source: Environmental Working Group. Compiled from USDA data.
Note: The information on conservation spending for 2011and 2012 are incomplete due to missing data from USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service. In addition some payments made in 2010 were not assigned to recipients in the data received from NRCS. Those payments are also not included.
The information provided for the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) provides an inaccurate picture of how WRP payments are distributed. USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service uses title companies as intermediaries to finalize wetlands easements under the Wetlands Reserve Program. As a result, the data provided to us shows large sums of money going to these title companies. In reality, the payments are ultimately distributed to landowners participating in the WRP.
Unfortunately, NRCS has not provided the data to show where these farms and wetlands are located or which farmers or landowners are enrolling in the program, so EWG is unable to allocate these large sums of money to individuals beyond the title companies. Therefore, these companies skew the conservation rankings and payment concentration, which EWG cannot avoid unless and until NRCS makes available the additional farm attribution data. Therefore, we have not included WRP payments in the 2011 or 2012 data update.
We have separated data on farm commodity, disaster and conservation payments in order to provide a more accurate picture of top recipients and concentration of payments among the three main categories of USDA programs.
Finally, EWG works hard to ensure the accuracy of the information it provides through its products and services, but obtains data for the Farm Subsidy Database from the U.S. Department of Agriculture pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act. Therefore, EWG cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information USDA provides or any analysis based thereon. If you find an error or discrepancy on the site, please contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency office to check its records before contacting EWG.
