Kentucky Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Kentucky, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Kentucky. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Kentucky. The estimated population of Kentucky is 4,494,141 people, with a median age of 39.

We can look at the total population in Kentucky over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
4,494,141
+0.72%
+1.58%
2020
4,461,952
+0.29%
-
2019
4,449,052
+0.2%
-
2018
4,440,204
+0.36%
-
2017
4,424,376
 - -

Population of Kentucky by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
83.6%
85.1%
 -1.76%
Black/African American
7.9%
7.9%
 0.00%
Native
0.1%
0.2%
 -50.00%
Hispanic
3.9%
3.4%
 +14.71%
Asian
1.5%
1.3%
 +15.38%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.1%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
2.6%
1.9%
 +36.84%
Other
0.2%
0.1%
 +100.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Kentucky by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 39 0% 37.8 +0.53% 40.2 -0.5%
2020 39 +0.26% 37.6 +0.27% 40.4 +0.25%
2019 38.9 +0.52% 37.5 +0.54% 40.3 +0.5%
2018 38.7 +0.26% 37.3 +0.27% 40.1 0%
2017 38.6 - 37.2 - 40.1 -

The median age of Kentucky gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 285,355 -0.44% 269,936 -1.34% 284,104 266,303
10 to 19 293,812 +2.7% 279,812 +3.55% 301,710 289,854
20 to 29 306,493 +0.15% 291,966 -0.18% 306,901 291,441
30 to 39 278,609 +1.54% 278,255 +1.45% 282,838 282,290
40 to 49 284,913 -1.16% 286,309 -2.72% 281,584 278,572
50 to 59 302,149 -1.89% 318,817 -5.09% 296,394 302,896
60 to 69 241,736 +8.14% 265,299 +7.44% 262,012 285,588
70+ 185,958 +11.49% 254,957 +7.09% 208,240 273,414

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Kentucky is $55,454.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Kentucky.

  • Under 25
    $32,699.00
  • 25 to 44
    $64,245.00
  • 45 to 64
    $65,022.00
  • 65 and over
    $41,677.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Kentucky, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Kentucky, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Kentucky is currently $76,511.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

4.86% of households in Kentucky are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Kentucky against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    22.49%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    23.05%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    17.82%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    12.51%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    14.06%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    5.20%
  • $200,000 or more
    4.86%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Kentucky is $30,634.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Kentucky by the total population of Kentucky.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Kentucky, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Kentucky to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    13.32%
  • Bachelor's degree
    26.41%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    11.72%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    45.92%
  • Less than high school diploma
    2.63%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Kentucky that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Kentucky over the age of 16 is 3,588,209.

Of those people, a total of 59.50% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Kentucky is 56.00%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 236,039 43.50% 14.10%
20 to 24 years 298,606 76.70% 9.40%
25 to 29 years 299,736 81.20% 5.80%
30 to 34 years 282,004 79.90% 5.00%
35 to 44 years 560,926 79.10% 4.90%
45 to 54 years 573,036 75.10% 3.80%
55 to 59 years 308,608 63.80% 3.00%
60 to 64 years 294,403 48.40% 2.90%
65 to 74 years 450,280 23.00% 3.50%
75 years and over 284,571 6.50% 4.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Kentucky. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 3,118,389 58.60% 4.90%
Black or African American 280,596 64.50% 8.60%
American Indian and Alaska Native 5,846 48.70% 6.70%
Asian 52,345 67.80% 3.80%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 2,676 69.40% 6.60%
Other 32,991 75.00% 6.00%
Two or more races 95,366 64.40% 7.80%
Hispanic or Latino 114,320 72.00% 5.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 3,063,172 58.40% 4.90%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Kentucky as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Kentucky is 2,009,185, with median earnings of $37,052.00.

Women in Kentucky earning approximately 72.40% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 2,009,185 $37,052.00
Male 1,049,398 $43,339.00
Female 959,787 $31,397.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 188,871 $63,715.00
Business and Financial 91,935 $57,002.00
Computer and Mathematical 41,480 $68,543.00
Architecture and Engineering 32,071 $74,328.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 14,035 $54,223.00
Community and Social Service 39,744 $40,083.00
Legal 19,173 $65,930.00
Educational and Library 120,410 $41,787.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 27,750 $33,891.00
Healthcare Practitioners 142,608 $55,376.00
Healthcare Support 57,868 $25,280.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 22,006 $30,674.00
Law Enforcement 17,771 $44,351.00
Food Preparation and Serving 105,288 $13,437.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 66,801 $20,895.00
Personal Care and Service 48,191 $16,559.00
Sales 189,905 $29,358.00
Office and Administrative Support 232,685 $31,859.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 11,652 $25,536.00
Construction and Extraction 96,142 $41,377.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 70,370 $46,769.00
Production 179,882 $38,767.00
Transportation and Material Moving 82,425 $37,826.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 111,407 $73,083.00 77,464 $53,336.00
Business and Financial 41,552 $67,258.00 50,383 $51,414.00
Computer and Mathematical 30,833 $72,960.00 10,647 $57,703.00
Architecture and Engineering 26,894 $76,107.00 5,177 $60,431.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 7,118 $56,618.00 6,917 $52,446.00
Community and Social Service 14,054 $42,506.00 25,690 $38,737.00
Legal 9,058 $88,750.00 10,115 $53,015.00
Educational and Library 29,658 $49,919.00 90,752 $39,234.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 13,857 $38,127.00 13,893 $28,586.00
Healthcare Practitioners 31,452 $69,989.00 111,156 $53,030.00
Healthcare Support 6,753 $26,104.00 51,115 $25,166.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 16,879 $34,926.00 5,127 $16,634.00
Law Enforcement 14,439 $47,107.00 3,332 $35,043.00
Food Preparation and Serving 40,056 $14,062.00 65,232 $13,188.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 41,508 $25,502.00 25,293 $15,521.00
Personal Care and Service 11,685 $21,009.00 36,506 $15,593.00
Sales 91,867 $43,642.00 98,038 $19,258.00
Office and Administrative Support 59,169 $36,788.00 173,516 $30,780.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 9,777 $26,402.00 1,875 $23,048.00
Construction and Extraction 92,925 $41,759.00 3,217 $29,481.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 67,922 $47,219.00 2,448 $36,704.00
Production 128,277 $43,181.00 51,605 $30,114.00
Transportation and Material Moving 71,520 $40,939.00 10,905 $22,942.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 1,748,475 households in Kentucky, with an average household size of 2.5 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 1,134,358 families in Kentucky with an average family size of 3.09 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 834,674 87,937 211,747 614,117
Average Household Size 3.15 3.21 3.29 1.24
Total Families 834,674 87,937 211,747 0
Average Household Size 3.12 2.82 3.06 0

Poverty

Of the 1,134,358 families in Kentucky, 11.90% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Kentucky:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 1,988,420 housing units in Kentucky.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 1,748,475 87.93%
Vacant 239,945 12.07%

25.80% of the total 1,988,420 housing units in Kentucky are rental units. This is approximately 513,022 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 1,185,302 are occupied by the owner - or 59.61% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Kentucky is $826.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Kentucky that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    50,151
  • Less than $500
    74,011
  • $500 to $999
    284,316
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    124,402
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    22,730
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    4,629
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    1,021
  • $3,000 or more
    1,913

Property Value

The median value of a property in Kentucky is $155,100.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Kentucky that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    131,838
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    211,183
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    224,793
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    206,876
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    217,062
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    139,988
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    45,177
  • $1,000,000 or more
    8,385

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Kentucky. The chart below shows the number of properties in Kentucky that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    189,504
  • 1940 to 1949
    85,258
  • 1950 to 1959
    178,277
  • 1960 to 1969
    209,620
  • 1970 to 1979
    320,954
  • 1980 to 1989
    246,027
  • 1990 to 1999
    331,649
  • 2000 to 2009
    282,446
  • 2010 to 2013
    140,873
  • 2014 or later
    3,812

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Kentucky that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    119,880
  • 1 vehicle available
    555,837
  • 2 vehicles available
    658,240
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    414,518

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Kentucky get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Kentucky that commute to work in a particular way.

23.7 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Kentucky.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    65,822
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    210,767
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    285,732
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    314,446
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    284,403
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    127,542
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    220,883
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    53,002
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    56,222
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    115,680
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    70,024
  • 90 or more minutes
    40,460

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Kentucky in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Counties in Kentucky

We have data for 120 counties in Kentucky. Click on a county below to see more information about the demographics of that county, with links to cities and towns within that county.

Zip Codes in Kentucky

If you want to find out more about the population and demographics of specific zip codes in Kentucky, click on the links below.