In 2022, Social Security transfers in Carter County totaled $118.43 million, amounting to $4,487 per capita, or 27.9% of total government transfers, according to information from the Economic Innovation Group.
Among all government transfer programs, Social Security was the second largest contributor in the county. Medicaid was the largest contributor, totaling $123.92 million, equating to $4,695 per capita and making up 29.1% of total transfers.
Comparatively, Social Security transfers across Kentucky amounted to $17.95 billion, ranking highest among all transfer types within the state. This translates to an average of $3,977 per capita, or 30.9% of total government transfers. Including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $58.17 billion, accounting for 24.8% of residents’ total income, with an average of $12,890 per resident.
Medicare was the third largest contributor in Carter County in 2022, accounting for $101.01 million, averaging $3,827 per capita, representing 23.8% of transfers. Income Maintenance transfers provided another $46.41 million, averaging $1,758 per capita and comprising 10.9% of government support, making them the smallest contributors.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
With 19.9% of the population aged 65 and older, Carter County has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Despite this aid, the total per capita income in Carter County, excluding government transfers was $22,363, which is far below the county’s total income of $38,473, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Carter County saw an increase in its Social Security transfer dependency by 1.1%, reflecting both rising transfer amounts and stagnating or insufficient other sources of income.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans’ income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Carter County, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 17.2% (or $2,303 per capita) in 1970 to 41.9% (or $16,109 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County | 1 | 18.8% | 17.3% | 6% | 4.4% | 4.8% | 1.9% | $12,061 |
| Fayette County | 2 | 15.8% | 14.9% | 5.4% | 3.7% | 3.4% | 1.6% | $9,400 |
| Kenton County | 3 | 14.8% | 15.8% | 5.1% | 3.8% | 3.2% | 1.4% | $10,281 |
| Hardin County | 4 | 24.6% | 15.1% | 6.5% | 5.1% | 4.6% | 2.3% | $12,992 |
| Warren County | 5 | 21.7% | 13.4% | 6.4% | 4.9% | 5.3% | 2.5% | $10,027 |
| Daviess County | 6 | 26.9% | 17.8% | 8.7% | 6.4% | 7% | 2.4% | $13,229 |
| Pulaski County | 7 | 39.9% | 19.8% | 10.1% | 7.6% | 15.4% | 3.4% | $18,381 |
| Boone County | 8 | 14.5% | 14.8% | 5.7% | 4.1% | 1.6% | 1.2% | $8,527 |
| Pike County | 9 | 44.8% | 20.3% | 12.5% | 10.1% | 14.2% | 4.3% | $19,526 |
| Madison County | 10 | 24% | 14.7% | 7.8% | 5.4% | 5% | 2.4% | $10,653 |
| Campbell County | 11 | 17.5% | 17.6% | 6.2% | 4.6% | 3.7% | 1.3% | $10,796 |
| McCracken County | 12 | 24.1% | 20.6% | 8.2% | 5.6% | 5.9% | 2% | $14,020 |
| Christian County | 13 | 27.7% | 12.9% | 6.7% | 5.5% | 7.2% | 3.5% | $11,863 |
| Laurel County | 14 | 33.3% | 17.2% | 9.7% | 6.8% | 10% | 3.9% | $13,437 |
| Bullitt County | 15 | 19.2% | 17.4% | 7.9% | 4.8% | 2.9% | 1.6% | $9,832 |
| Boyd County | 16 | 34.1% | 20.3% | 10.3% | 8.1% | 8.8% | 3.2% | $15,653 |
| Floyd County | 17 | 48.5% | 19.8% | 12.1% | 9.5% | 17.9% | 5.5% | $21,074 |
| Whitley County | 18 | 46.9% | 16% | 9.2% | 11.1% | 15.5% | 5.5% | $19,775 |
| Franklin County | 19 | 27.8% | 18.7% | 9.8% | 8.5% | 4.9% | 2.4% | $13,770 |
| Hopkins County | 20 | 32% | 19.2% | 10.1% | 7.6% | 8% | 3% | $14,987 |
| Henderson County | 21 | 28.8% | 19.4% | 9.5% | 7.2% | 6.9% | 2.7% | $14,061 |
| Barren County | 22 | 31.3% | 18.3% | 9.7% | 7.5% | 8.3% | 3.1% | $13,406 |
| Perry County | 23 | 48.7% | 18.3% | 10.7% | 9.6% | 19.3% | 5.6% | $21,011 |
| Harlan County | 24 | 57.3% | 19.6% | 13.9% | 10.7% | 21.6% | 6.7% | $21,605 |
| Graves County | 25 | 30.1% | 19% | 8.8% | 7.5% | 8.7% | 2.7% | $15,119 |
| Nelson County | 26 | 21.8% | 17.2% | 7.9% | 5.9% | 4% | 2% | $11,610 |
| Greenup County | 27 | 32.5% | 22.2% | 9.8% | 8% | 7.3% | 2.6% | $15,475 |
| Oldham County | 28 | 10.2% | 14.6% | 4.3% | 2.4% | 1.6% | 0.5% | $7,819 |
| Jessamine County | 29 | 16.9% | 16.5% | 6.4% | 4.3% | 2.7% | 1.9% | $9,841 |
| Knox County | 30 | 47.4% | 17.8% | 10.6% | 7.7% | 19.2% | 7.1% | $17,645 |
| Bell County | 31 | 54.2% | 19.9% | 11.8% | 10.5% | 22% | 6.8% | $21,480 |
| Scott County | 32 | 15.2% | 13.1% | 6% | 3.5% | 2.3% | 1.6% | $8,006 |
| Letcher County | 33 | 55.9% | 21% | 14.7% | 11.2% | 20.9% | 5.8% | $21,950 |
| Shelby County | 34 | 16.6% | 17% | 6.7% | 4.3% | 2.5% | 1.5% | $9,361 |
| Clark County | 35 | 25.9% | 18.4% | 9% | 6.1% | 5.9% | 2.7% | $12,304 |
| Marshall County | 36 | 29.5% | 22.7% | 11.4% | 7.6% | 5.6% | 2.1% | $14,279 |
| Muhlenberg County | 37 | 36.9% | 20.4% | 11.7% | 9.2% | 9.3% | 3.4% | $14,844 |
| Calloway County | 38 | 27.1% | 17.3% | 9.3% | 6.7% | 5.3% | 2.1% | $11,910 |
| Carter County | 39 | 41.9% | 19.9% | 11.7% | 9.9% | 12.2% | 4.6% | $16,109 |
| Clay County | 40 | 53.5% | 16% | 10.1% | 10.3% | 23.1% | 7.9% | $20,315 |
| Johnson County | 41 | 45.9% | 19.3% | 12.4% | 9.5% | 15.1% | 5.1% | $18,025 |
| Taylor County | 42 | 36.6% | 18.2% | 10.5% | 9% | 10.2% | 3.6% | $14,555 |
| Grayson County | 43 | 34.4% | 18.5% | 10.3% | 8.7% | 8.8% | 3.5% | $14,287 |
| Boyle County | 44 | 27.2% | 19.2% | 9.4% | 6.7% | 5.9% | 2.6% | $12,309 |
| Logan County | 45 | 30.5% | 18.9% | 9.4% | 7.7% | 7.9% | 2.8% | $13,501 |
| Lincoln County | 46 | 36.3% | 18.6% | 10.3% | 9% | 9.4% | 4.2% | $14,534 |
| Ohio County | 47 | 36.5% | 18.7% | 11.3% | 8.4% | 9.9% | 3.6% | $14,612 |
| Montgomery County | 48 | 28.5% | 16.8% | 9.3% | 6.9% | 6.6% | 3.3% | $12,077 |
| Grant County | 49 | 27.8% | 14.4% | 8.9% | 7.5% | 6% | 3.1% | $12,639 |
| Rowan County | 50 | 35.2% | 15% | 9.4% | 7.7% | 10.4% | 3.8% | $13,151 |
| Wayne County | 51 | 44.2% | 22.3% | 11.7% | 8.7% | 15.5% | 5.5% | $16,268 |
| McCreary County | 52 | 56.1% | 16.5% | 10.3% | 10.4% | 24.3% | 7.4% | $19,100 |
| Meade County | 53 | 21.4% | 15.7% | 7.6% | 4.2% | 3.5% | 2.1% | $10,014 |
| Knott County | 54 | 53% | 20.7% | 11.9% | 10% | 22.2% | 5.9% | $21,583 |
| Woodford County | 55 | 17.2% | 20.8% | 7.6% | 4.7% | 2% | 1.3% | $10,763 |
| Adair County | 56 | 37.5% | 19.7% | 9.6% | 8% | 13.1% | 3.6% | $15,220 |
| Russell County | 57 | 31.4% | 21% | 8.4% | 6.7% | 10.7% | 3.4% | $15,947 |
| Breathitt County | 58 | 56.1% | 18.9% | 11.1% | 9.8% | 25.6% | 7.2% | $21,501 |
| Breckinridge County | 59 | 32.3% | 20.2% | 10.5% | 8.1% | 7.5% | 3.1% | $13,425 |
| Lawrence County | 60 | 45.9% | 19% | 11.9% | 8.9% | 15.8% | 5.2% | $17,406 |
| Mercer County | 61 | 27.6% | 19.1% | 10.3% | 6.8% | 5.5% | 2.6% | $12,210 |
| Allen County | 62 | 30.5% | 18.1% | 9.7% | 7.4% | 7.6% | 3.1% | $12,476 |
| Rockcastle County | 63 | 41.1% | 19.5% | 10.6% | 8.1% | 15.2% | 4.5% | $16,257 |
| Marion County | 64 | 30.2% | 17.4% | 8.6% | 6.8% | 9.7% | 3.2% | $13,172 |
| Casey County | 65 | 40.4% | 20.8% | 10.1% | 9.2% | 14.1% | 4.2% | $15,974 |
| Anderson County | 66 | 22.7% | 16.7% | 8.9% | 6% | 3.4% | 2.1% | $10,338 |
| Hart County | 67 | 31.9% | 17.5% | 9.3% | 6.5% | 9.6% | 3.6% | $12,644 |
| Magoffin County | 68 | 52.8% | 19.1% | 11.8% | 9.1% | 22.8% | 6.8% | $21,818 |
| Bourbon County | 69 | 21% | 20.2% | 7.5% | 5% | 4.8% | 2.2% | $12,035 |
| Harrison County | 70 | 29.2% | 18.6% | 10% | 7.8% | 6.2% | 3% | $12,446 |
| Mason County | 71 | 29% | 19.3% | 9.3% | 7.2% | 6.5% | 3.2% | $13,957 |
| Estill County | 72 | 42.6% | 19.3% | 10.4% | 9.1% | 13.8% | 5.3% | $16,596 |
| Simpson County | 73 | 27% | 17% | 9.4% | 7% | 5.3% | 2.7% | $11,642 |
| Leslie County | 74 | 56% | 19.7% | 13.5% | 10.3% | 23.6% | 6.1% | $21,778 |
| Garrard County | 75 | 28.7% | 19.2% | 9.8% | 7.5% | 5.7% | 3.1% | $12,476 |
| Martin County | 76 | 60.9% | 17.6% | 15.3% | 10.2% | 24.3% | 7.5% | $19,449 |
| Union County | 77 | 33.4% | 20.5% | 10.3% | 7.9% | 9.5% | 2.8% | $16,290 |
| Lewis County | 78 | 42.2% | 19.7% | 9.6% | 10% | 13.8% | 5.3% | $16,131 |
| Henry County | 79 | 26.6% | 18.7% | 8.9% | 7.5% | 5.8% | 2.4% | $13,190 |
| Trigg County | 80 | 32.6% | 23.2% | 11.9% | 8.8% | 4.4% | 2.5% | $14,503 |
| Spencer County | 81 | 18% | 15.8% | 6.6% | 5.2% | 3.2% | 1.2% | $10,099 |
| Jackson County | 82 | 42.6% | 18.3% | 10.4% | 9% | 14.6% | 5.9% | $15,649 |
| Morgan County | 83 | 44.9% | 17.5% | 11.4% | 10.5% | 15.5% | 5.2% | $14,244 |
| Powell County | 84 | 41.1% | 16.5% | 11.3% | 8.2% | 12.9% | 5.6% | $15,353 |
| Fleming County | 85 | 32% | 18.8% | 10.1% | 8% | 8.2% | 3.4% | $12,935 |
| Larue County | 86 | 30% | 17.9% | 9.6% | 6.8% | 7.9% | 2.9% | $12,747 |
| Caldwell County | 87 | 33.8% | 21.3% | 10.5% | 8.5% | 8.8% | 3% | $15,101 |
| Monroe County | 88 | 37% | 19.3% | 8.5% | 9.2% | 13.2% | 3.8% | $16,535 |
| Green County | 89 | 40.1% | 21.4% | 10.2% | 10.5% | 13.5% | 3.5% | $16,310 |
| Bath County | 90 | 38.3% | 17.3% | 10.1% | 9.3% | 11.2% | 4.9% | $14,247 |
| Clinton County | 91 | 45.9% | 20.6% | 9.6% | 9.1% | 19.5% | 5% | $20,000 |
| Butler County | 92 | 34.2% | 19.1% | 10% | 7% | 10.7% | 3.5% | $14,753 |
| Webster County | 93 | 28.8% | 18.5% | 9.9% | 7.1% | 6.7% | 2.6% | $14,213 |
| Pendleton County | 94 | 23.1% | 17.6% | 8.1% | 5.8% | 4.5% | 2.4% | $11,889 |
| Washington County | 95 | 29.8% | 19.3% | 9.4% | 7.2% | 8.5% | 2.7% | $13,470 |
| Metcalfe County | 96 | 42.1% | 19.8% | 11.5% | 9.7% | 13.6% | 4.5% | $15,380 |
| Edmonson County | 97 | 31.5% | 21.4% | 10.6% | 5.6% | 9.2% | 3.1% | $12,539 |
| Wolfe County | 98 | 53.9% | 20% | 10.8% | 9.1% | 24% | 7.4% | $23,604 |
| Todd County | 99 | 25.2% | 16.7% | 7.6% | 5.1% | 7.1% | 2.8% | $11,904 |
| Owen County | 100 | 32.6% | 20.4% | 10.5% | 9.1% | 8% | 3.3% | $12,891 |
| Livingston County | 101 | 35.3% | 22.7% | 12.5% | 9.4% | 7.9% | 2.5% | $16,172 |
| Cumberland County | 102 | 48.1% | 22.8% | 10.2% | 11% | 20.2% | 4% | $23,787 |
| Carroll County | 103 | 27.7% | 16.4% | 8.8% | 5.7% | 8.2% | 3.1% | $12,869 |
| McLean County | 104 | 29.6% | 20.1% | 9.7% | 8% | 7.1% | 2.4% | $15,208 |
| Lee County | 105 | 55% | 19.4% | 11% | 9.9% | 23.7% | 7.1% | $18,993 |
| Crittenden County | 106 | 35.1% | 21.7% | 11.5% | 8.5% | 9.3% | 2.6% | $14,580 |
| Lyon County | 107 | 34.5% | 23.7% | 13.2% | 9.5% | 6.4% | 1.8% | $13,685 |
| Fulton County | 108 | 44.2% | 21.6% | 11.6% | 11.9% | 12.8% | 5% | $18,121 |
| Bracken County | 109 | 30.6% | 18.3% | 10.2% | 7.9% | 6.8% | 3.3% | $13,361 |
| Owsley County | 110 | 63.2% | 20.7% | 8.5% | 11% | 31.8% | 8.4% | $28,538 |
| Menifee County | 111 | 45% | 21.5% | 12.1% | 10.4% | 14.7% | 5.1% | $17,886 |
| Trimble County | 112 | 26.8% | 18.4% | 9.1% | 6.6% | 6.5% | 2.6% | $12,933 |
| Nicholas County | 113 | 35.6% | 16.5% | 9.8% | 7.4% | 12.5% | 3.5% | $14,020 |
| Hancock County | 114 | 22.4% | 18.7% | 8.5% | 6.1% | 3.9% | 2% | $12,094 |
| Ballard County | 115 | 28% | 22.2% | 10.2% | 5.7% | 7.4% | 2.4% | $13,959 |
| Elliott County | 116 | 51.3% | 21.3% | 13.7% | 8.1% | 19.9% | 6.8% | $14,055 |
| Gallatin County | 117 | 26% | 15.4% | 6% | 5.9% | 9.1% | 2.9% | $11,197 |
| Hickman County | 118 | 30.9% | 26.1% | 9.3% | 6.7% | 10.5% | 2.4% | $17,459 |
| Carlisle County | 119 | 26.9% | 20.2% | 9.3% | 6.2% | 6.7% | 2.3% | $14,471 |
| Robertson County | 120 | 37.5% | 23.7% | 9.6% | 7.3% | 14.6% | 3.7% | $14,734 |
