Date Available

5-12-2023

Year of Publication

2023

Document Type

Article

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

College

Health Sciences

Department/School/Program

Public Health

Faculty

Dr. Angela Carman

Abstract

Perry County is an Appalachian county located in southeastern Kentucky. The population is 28,473 people (United States Census Bureau, 2020). It is a predominately white community, with 95.9% of people falling in this category, which is higher than the national percentage of 75.8% (United States Census Bureau, 2020). Being a rural county, this community uses few news sources, with the primary outlet being WYMT Eastern Kentucky News. This news outlet is a subset of CBS (WYMT, 2023). When comparing statewide and nationwide data, Perry County does consistently worse. They have a high school graduation rate that is lower than the state and national average. Perry County’s rate is 77.8%, in comparison to 87.7% in Kentucky and 88.9% in the United States (American Community Survey, 2017-2021). The unemployment rate is also higher, which could indicate a lack of employment opportunities. Perry County is 5.1%, the United States is 3.5%, and the state’s is 3.7% (Federal Reserve Economic Data, 2022). Citizens of Perry County face financial hardship, as many of them are living in poverty. 29.9% of people living in Perry County are living in poverty, in comparison to 16.5% in Kentucky and 11.6% at the national level (United States Census Bureau, 2020). Poverty rates directly connect to household income. The median household income in Perry County is $40,577, which is almost $20,000 lower than the national average (United States Census Bureau, 2020)

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