Indiana and Kentucky Rank Among Least Vaccinated States in America
Vaccines have become a much more contentious topic in recent years, but a new study shows Indiana and Kentucky are both falling toward the bottom of the country when it comes to vaccination rates.
WalletHub compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 16 different metrics, looking at vaccination rates among children, teens, and adults, along with factors including the percentage of residents without health insurance.
When all those factors were combined, Indiana ranked No. 37 in the country, while Kentucky came in even lower at No. 44.
What Did the Vaccination Study Measure?
This isn't a ranking based on a single vaccine.
WalletHub examined vaccination rates across different age groups and diseases to create its overall rankings.
The study points to the enormous role vaccines have played in reducing diseases, including polio, tetanus, measles, and chickenpox. Smallpox was eradicated worldwide, with the last naturally occurring case reported in 1977.
The World Health Organization estimates immunizations currently prevent between 3.5 million and 5 million deaths globally each year.
Measles Cases Have Increased Across the United States
The new ranking arrives as measles has once again become a significant public health concern in the United States.
According to the CDC, 2,777 confirmed measles cases have been reported nationwide in 2026 as of August 20, already surpassing the 2,289 cases recorded during all of 2025. Both Indiana and Kentucky are among the states that have reported cases this year.
The CDC says measles is highly contagious and that two doses of the MMR vaccine provide the best protection.
There's another number worth watching. Nationwide MMR vaccination coverage among kindergartners has fallen from 95.2% during the 2019-2020 school year to 92.4% during 2025-2026. The CDC estimates that this left approximately 280,000 kindergartners at risk during the most recent school year.
Indiana and Kentucky Land in the Bottom Half
With Indiana at No. 37 and Kentucky at No. 44, both states landed firmly in the bottom half of WallerHub's national ranking.
That doesn't mean vaccination rates are identical in every community or for every vaccine. The CDC specifically notes that vaccination coverage can vary considerably at the local level, with pockets of lower vaccination existing even within states that have relatively high overall coverage.
Still, with measles cases climbing nationally, the new rankings offer another look at where Indiana and Kentucky stand compared with the rest of the country.
