27.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Harlan County School District, KY (6.12k out of 22.5k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Males 35 - 44 and then Males 45 - 54.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Harlan County School District, KY is White, followed by Two Or More and Black.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.