How many people live in ?

Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 16,800 people living in McCreary County, KY. That makes McCreary County the 68th-most populous county in Kentucky. It is home to 0.37% of people living in the state.

16.8K

population of McCreary County, KY (2024)

0.37%

County share of the Kentucky population (2024)

About 16,800 people lived in McCreary County, KY in 2024.

Population estimates, 2000–2024

What are McCreary County, KY’s age demographics?

About 2,800 McCreary County residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 16.6% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 18.1% of Kentucky’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 3,600 McCreary County residents, or 21.4% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 22.4% of Kentucky’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.

A higher share of McCreary County, KY's population is aged 25–44 than the US as a whole.

Population estimates by age group, (2024)

What are McCreary County, KY’s racial and ethnic demographics?

Non-Hispanic white residents make up 89.3% of the McCreary County, KY population, higher than the national share of 57.5%.
In contrast, McCreary County’s Hispanic population accounts for 2.5%, below the 20% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Black or African American population makes up 5.6% of the county, compared with 12.6% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.

McCreary County, KY has a higher share of a non-Hispanic white population than Kentucky as a whole.

Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.