Rockcastle County, Kentucky Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Rockcastle 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 Rockcastle County, Kentucky. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Rockcastle County, Kentucky. The estimated population of Rockcastle County, Kentucky is 16,167 people, with a median age of 42.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
16,167
 -3.74% -3.85%
2020
16,795
 -0.15% -
2019
16,820
 -0.04% -
2018
16,827
+0.07%
-
2017
16,815
 - -

Population of Rockcastle 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
96.8%
97.5%
 -0.72%
Black/African American
0.1%
0.2%
 -50.00%
Native
0.1%
1%
 -90.00%
Hispanic
1%
0.8%
 +25.00%
Asian
0.1%
0.1%
 0.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
1.8%
0.4%
 +350.00%
Other
0.1%
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 Rockcastle 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 42 -1.41% 41.7 0% 43.1 -0.46%
2020 42.6 -0.23% 41.7 0% 43.3 +0.46%
2019 42.7 +0.47% 41.7 +0.24% 43.1 +0.23%
2018 42.5 +0.71% 41.6 +0.97% 43 +0.7%
2017 42.2 - 41.2 - 42.7 -

The median age of Rockcastle 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 9 873 +5.62% 1,051 -10.71% 919 940
10 to 19 1,144 -10.53% 1,009 -4.21% 1,024 963
20 to 29 973 -5.16% 946 -5.56% 923 894
30 to 39 976 -4.92% 1,091 -0.83% 927 1,081
40 to 49 1,113 -14.67% 1,107 -15.49% 957 940
50 to 59 1,231 -1.72% 1,254 +3.77% 1,201 1,296
60 to 69 936 +19.9% 1,086 -11.58% 1,130 962
70+ 922 -5.59% 1,103 +3.9% 871 1,139

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Rockcastle County, Kentucky is $40,406.00.

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 Rockcastle County.

  • Under 25
    $0.00
  • 25 to 44
    $56,172.00
  • 45 to 64
    $50,000.00
  • 65 and over
    $24,169.00

Average Household Income

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

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Rockcastle 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 Rockcastle County, Kentucky is currently $57,950.00.

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.

2.31% of households in Rockcastle 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 Rockcastle County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    37.72%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    21.47%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    16.44%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    10.32%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    10.05%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    1.68%
  • $200,000 or more
    2.31%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Rockcastle County is $24,492.00.

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

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Rockcastle 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 Rockcastle 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
    8.96%
  • Bachelor's degree
    11.54%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    12.23%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    63.78%
  • Less than high school diploma
    3.49%

Employment

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

The total population of Rockcastle County over the age of 16 is 13,148.

Of those people, a total of 49.40% 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 Rockcastle County is 45.80%.

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 827 20.00% 5.50%
20 to 24 years 821 69.40% 31.60%
25 to 29 years 996 77.60% 6.10%
30 to 34 years 928 73.20% 5.00%
35 to 44 years 1,878 79.50% 5.80%
45 to 54 years 2,379 60.60% 6.10%
55 to 59 years 1,217 57.30% 1.90%
60 to 64 years 1,181 37.30% 2.70%
65 to 74 years 1,767 10.90% 0.00%
75 years and over 1,154 3.80% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Rockcastle 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 12,858 49.40% 6.70%
Black or African American 16 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 14 0.00% 0.00%
Asian 0 0.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 14 100.00% 42.90%
Two or more races 246 55.70% 25.50%
Hispanic or Latino 74 23.00% 0.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 12,805 49.40% 6.80%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Rockcastle 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 Rockcastle County is 6,028, with median earnings of $34,626.00.

Women in Rockcastle County, Kentucky earning approximately 63.60% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 6,028 $34,626.00
Male 3,298 $41,585.00
Female 2,730 $26,456.00

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 476 $53,847.00
Business and Financial 172 $19,091.00
Computer and Mathematical 89 $9,250.00
Architecture and Engineering 125 $86,875.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 35 $130,069.00
Community and Social Service 78 $37,750.00
Legal 0 $0.00
Educational and Library 460 $44,861.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 6 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 392 $48,846.00
Healthcare Support 147 $22,226.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 55 $36,750.00
Law Enforcement 21 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 297 $14,750.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 225 $23,125.00
Personal Care and Service 95 $26,146.00
Sales 390 $22,500.00
Office and Administrative Support 899 $28,812.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 3 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 515 $35,742.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 195 $55,592.00
Production 894 $45,983.00
Transportation and Material Moving 213 $31,103.00

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 301 $54,513.00 175 $52,616.00
Business and Financial 68 $48,438.00 104 $11,953.00
Computer and Mathematical 46 $0.00 43 $35,647.00
Architecture and Engineering 125 $86,875.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 29 $0.00 6 $0.00
Community and Social Service 40 $25,000.00 38 $51,000.00
Legal 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Educational and Library 130 $48,043.00 330 $44,514.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 0 $0.00 6 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 82 $250,001.00 310 $38,611.00
Healthcare Support 29 $0.00 118 $24,167.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 55 $36,750.00 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 7 $0.00 14 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 88 $5,694.00 209 $16,141.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 18 $28,125.00 207 $23,069.00
Personal Care and Service 24 $15,417.00 71 $27,802.00
Sales 189 $26,940.00 201 $16,094.00
Office and Administrative Support 220 $43,287.00 679 $26,903.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 3 $0.00 0 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 508 $35,469.00 7 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 183 $54,250.00 12 $0.00
Production 719 $46,250.00 175 $42,292.00
Transportation and Material Moving 203 $31,838.00 10 $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 6,307 households in Rockcastle County, with an average household size of 2.51 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 4,285 families in Rockcastle County with an average family size of 3.07 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 3,291 265 729 2,022
Average Household Size 3.09 3.45 3.2 1.21
Total Families 3,291 265 729 0
Average Household Size 3.06 3.22 3.08 0

Poverty

Of the 4,285 families in Rockcastle County, 18.40% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Rockcastle 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 7,376 housing units in Rockcastle County, Kentucky.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 6,307 85.51%
Vacant 1,069 14.49%

13.26% of the total 7,376 housing units in Rockcastle County are rental units. This is approximately 978 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 4,777 are occupied by the owner - or 64.76% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Rockcastle County is $635.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Rockcastle 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
    552
  • Less than $500
    264
  • $500 to $999
    690
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    24
  • $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 Rockcastle County is $91,000.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    1,218
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    1,371
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    1,054
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    587
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    331
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    109
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    97
  • $1,000,000 or more
    10

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    532
  • 1940 to 1949
    197
  • 1950 to 1959
    430
  • 1960 to 1969
    675
  • 1970 to 1979
    1,072
  • 1980 to 1989
    1,180
  • 1990 to 1999
    1,682
  • 2000 to 2009
    1,278
  • 2010 to 2013
    320
  • 2014 or later
    10

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 Rockcastle County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    528
  • 1 vehicle available
    1,731
  • 2 vehicles available
    2,205
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    1,843

Commuting to Work

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

24.1 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Rockcastle 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
    283
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    565
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    967
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    733
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    905
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    306
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    435
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    153
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    251
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    477
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    397
  • 90 or more minutes
    49

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Rockcastle 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 Rockcastle County, Kentucky

We have data for 6 places in Rockcastle County, Kentucky. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.