Population

How many immigrants are in Kentucky?

Data updated September 19, 2024
About 202K immigrants in 2023. This translates to approximately 4.5% of the population, or roughly 3 in 70 residents in Kentucky. Immigrants are defined as foreign-born residents, which includes people who became US citizens, hold work or student visas, or are undocumented residents.
Showing data for
In 2023

202K

Kentucky residents were foreign-born
In 2023

3 in 70

Kentucky residents were foreign-born
The number of foreign-born residents in Kentucky grew from 149K in 2013 to 202K in 2023. This increase occurred alongside changes in the native-born population due to births, deaths, and people moving. Analyzing the foreign-born share of the total population provides a better view of these demographics. In Kentucky, the foreign-born share of the population was 4.5% in 2023, lower than the US overall at 14.3%, and up from 3.4% in the state since 2013.

In Kentucky, 4.5% of the population was foreign-born in 2023.

Variations in immigrant populations illustrate a changing population landscape in both local areas and the nation as a whole. The largest immigration populations are concentrated in big metro areas. Metro areas in California, Texas, Florida, and parts of the Northeast typically have a higher share of residents that are foreign-born.

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From 2018 to 2022, the metro areas (with data) in the US with the highest and lowest foreign-born population share were: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL at 41.5% foreign-born (highest) and Beckley, WV at 0.9% foreign-born (lowest). The highest and lowest among the metro areas in or connected to Kentucky were: Lexington-Fayette, KY at 7.6% foreign-born (highest) and Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH at 1.2% foreign-born (lowest).

On average, 8.3% of the population in metro areas was foreign-born from 2018 to 2022

Foreign-born share of the population

Average foreign-born share of the population from 2018 to 2022

Foreign-born share of the population

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