Metcalfe County, Kentucky Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Metcalfe County, 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 Metcalfe County, Kentucky. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Metcalfe County, Kentucky. The estimated population of Metcalfe County, Kentucky is 10,275 people, with a median age of 43.3.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
10,275
+2.12%
+2.85%
2020
10,062
+0.26%
-
2019
10,036
+0.32%
-
2018
10,004
+0.14%
-
2017
9,990
 - -

Population of Metcalfe County, 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
94.7%
95.1%
 -0.42%
Black/African American
2.1%
0.7%
 +200.00%
Native
0.4%
0.2%
 +100.00%
Hispanic
1.5%
1.5%
 0.00%
Asian
0.2%
0.5%
 -60.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
1.1%
2%
 -45.00%
Other
0%
0%
 0.00%

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 Metcalfe County, 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 43.3 -0.69% 41.3 -3.95% 44.3 +0.23%
2020 43.6 -0.68% 43 +0.47% 44.2 -1.56%
2019 43.9 +1.15% 42.8 -0.47% 44.9 +2.28%
2018 43.4 +0.7% 43 +0.23% 43.9 +1.39%
2017 43.1 - 42.9 - 43.3 -

The median age of Metcalfe County, 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 9 682 -11.03% 558 +14.44% 609 630
10 to 19 617 +20.93% 671 -11.32% 753 594
20 to 29 561 +3.8% 534 +2.69% 582 548
30 to 39 501 +9.11% 461 +25.75% 540 588
40 to 49 723 -19.63% 744 -12.98% 586 646
50 to 59 670 +34.18% 750 -3.37% 921 715
60 to 69 592 -28.01% 596 +25.28% 441 740
70+ 584 +8.93% 746 +0.2% 635 747

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Metcalfe County, Kentucky is $43,196.00.

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 Metcalfe County.

  • Under 25
    $44,531.00
  • 25 to 44
    $61,309.00
  • 45 to 64
    $37,226.00
  • 65 and over
    $33,750.00

Average Household Income

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

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Metcalfe County, 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 Metcalfe County, Kentucky is currently $53,572.00.

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.

1.42% of households in Metcalfe County 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 Metcalfe County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    29.26%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    29.85%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    14.53%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    11.99%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    10.67%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    2.28%
  • $200,000 or more
    1.42%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Metcalfe County is $21,349.00.

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

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

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Metcalfe County 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
    7.50%
  • Bachelor's degree
    14.30%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    11.97%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    63.00%
  • Less than high school diploma
    3.24%

Employment

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

The total population of Metcalfe County over the age of 16 is 8,149.

Of those people, a total of 54.70% 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 Metcalfe County is 52.90%.

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 460 42.80% 0.00%
20 to 24 years 562 73.80% 9.40%
25 to 29 years 568 75.40% 8.20%
30 to 34 years 520 82.70% 2.10%
35 to 44 years 1,206 81.30% 3.20%
45 to 54 years 1,380 69.70% 0.90%
55 to 59 years 890 56.70% 2.20%
60 to 64 years 644 40.20% 0.00%
65 to 74 years 1,143 22.00% 5.60%
75 years and over 776 3.90% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Metcalfe County. 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 7,833 54.10% 2.80%
Black or African American 160 77.50% 5.60%
American Indian and Alaska Native 40 92.50% 0.00%
Asian 17 47.10% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 0 0.00% 0.00%
Two or more races 99 49.50% 44.90%
Hispanic or Latino 78 59.00% 0.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 7,770 54.00% 2.80%

Occupations

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

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Metcalfe County is 4,309, with median earnings of $32,254.00.

Women in Metcalfe County, Kentucky earning approximately 75.60% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 4,309 $32,254.00
Male 2,267 $38,358.00
Female 2,042 $28,993.00

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 218 $39,928.00
Business and Financial 147 $47,750.00
Computer and Mathematical 15 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 30 $34,375.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 0 $0.00
Community and Social Service 102 $41,223.00
Legal 0 $0.00
Educational and Library 293 $40,221.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 36 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 293 $46,435.00
Healthcare Support 114 $18,750.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 28 $0.00
Law Enforcement 102 $38,846.00
Food Preparation and Serving 268 $13,893.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 134 $15,809.00
Personal Care and Service 23 $9,432.00
Sales 276 $20,556.00
Office and Administrative Support 313 $27,201.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 167 $40,150.00
Construction and Extraction 218 $19,239.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 290 $42,121.00
Production 739 $37,431.00
Transportation and Material Moving 246 $44,712.00

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 129 $57,096.00 89 $38,678.00
Business and Financial 31 $0.00 116 $29,900.00
Computer and Mathematical 3 $0.00 12 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 30 $34,375.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Community and Social Service 28 $0.00 74 $40,549.00
Legal 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Educational and Library 25 $0.00 268 $32,134.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 36 $0.00 0 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 93 $51,528.00 200 $45,926.00
Healthcare Support 0 $0.00 114 $18,750.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 0 $0.00 28 $0.00
Law Enforcement 89 $38,510.00 13 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 94 $14,231.00 174 $13,750.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 73 $19,063.00 61 $3,125.00
Personal Care and Service 4 $0.00 19 $8,977.00
Sales 105 $27,375.00 171 $14,943.00
Office and Administrative Support 67 $38,438.00 246 $26,685.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 129 $42,050.00 38 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 218 $19,239.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 262 $46,607.00 28 $0.00
Production 432 $43,514.00 307 $31,440.00
Transportation and Material Moving 209 $45,646.00 37 $0.00

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 4,087 households in Metcalfe County, with an average household size of 2.49 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 2,936 families in Metcalfe County with an average family size of 2.91 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 2,383 218 335 1,151
Average Household Size 2.99 3.33 2.8 1.19
Total Families 2,383 218 335 0
Average Household Size 2.96 2.75 2.67 0

Poverty

Of the 2,936 families in Metcalfe County, 15.80% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Metcalfe County:

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 4,694 housing units in Metcalfe County, Kentucky.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 4,087 87.07%
Vacant 607 12.93%

15.38% of the total 4,694 housing units in Metcalfe County are rental units. This is approximately 722 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 3,194 are occupied by the owner - or 68.04% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Metcalfe County is $590.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Metcalfe County 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
    171
  • Less than $500
    296
  • $500 to $999
    407
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    19
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    0
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in Metcalfe County is $81,700.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    812
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    1,127
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    546
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    426
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    195
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    81
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    7
  • $1,000,000 or more
    0

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    346
  • 1940 to 1949
    112
  • 1950 to 1959
    330
  • 1960 to 1969
    285
  • 1970 to 1979
    1,106
  • 1980 to 1989
    628
  • 1990 to 1999
    868
  • 2000 to 2009
    755
  • 2010 to 2013
    198
  • 2014 or later
    66

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 Metcalfe County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    198
  • 1 vehicle available
    1,157
  • 2 vehicles available
    1,249
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    1,483

Commuting to Work

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

22.5 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Metcalfe County.

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
    271
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    379
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    558
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    383
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    951
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    420
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    431
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    105
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    101
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    226
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    206
  • 90 or more minutes
    50

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Metcalfe County, 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.

Places in Metcalfe County, Kentucky

We have data for 5 places in Metcalfe County, Kentucky. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.