How many people live in ?

Updated annually
In 2025, there were 4.61 million people living in Kentucky. That makes Kentucky the 26th-most populous state, home to 1.3% of people living in the US.

4.61M

population of Kentucky (2025)

1.3%

Kentucky share of the US population (2025)
The population of Kentucky was about 2.1 times higher than it was in 1900. Between 2024 and 2025, the population of Kentucky grew by about 22,800 people.

About 4.61 million people lived in Kentucky in 2025. That's about 2.1 times more than in 1900.

Annual population estimates

What are Kentucky's age demographics?

About 826,700 Kentucky residents were aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 18.1% of the state’s population compared with 18% in the US overall.
Another 1.03 million Kentucky residents, or 22.4% of the state’s population, were aged under 18. For comparison, children account for 21.6% of the US population.

A higher share of Kentucky's population is 65 and older than the US overall.

Population share by age group (2024)

What are Kentucky's racial and ethnic demographics?

A state’s population may have racial and ethnic differences compared with the US overall. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census Bureau reporting standards.
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 81.3% of Kentucky’s population, higher than the national share of 57.5%.
In contrast, Kentucky’s Hispanic population accounted for 5.7%, below the 20% share nationwide. The non-Hispanic Asian population makes up 2% of the state, compared with 6.5% nationally.

A higher share of Kentucky's population is non-Hispanic white than the US overall.

Population share by race and ethnicity (2024)

What are Kentucky's most populous counties?

In 2024, 13 out of 120 counties accounted for over half of Kentucky's population:
  • Jefferson County, 793,900 (17.3% of the population)
  • Fayette County, 329,400 (7.2%)
  • Kenton County, 174,900 (3.8%)
  • Warren County, 147,900 (3.2%)
  • Boone County, 144,100 (3.1%)
  • Hardin County, 112,800 (2.5%)
  • Daviess County, 104,500 (2.3%)
  • Madison County, 99,600 (2.2%)
  • Campbell County, 94,000 (2.1%)
  • Bullitt County, 85,800 (1.9%)
  • Christian County, 71,000 (1.5%)
  • Oldham County, 70,500 (1.5%)
  • McCracken County, 67,600 (1.5%)

In 2024, Jefferson County was the most populous county in Kentucky.

Population estimates

What are Kentucky's most populous cities?

The largest city in Kentucky is Louisville/Jefferson County with about 640,800 residents in 2024.

Cities and counties in Kentucky ranked by population

Cities and counties in Kentucky ranked by population
1.

Louisville/Jefferson County

640,796
2.

Lexington-Fayette urban county

329,437
3.

Bowling Green

79,076
4.

Owensboro 

60,675
5.

Covington 

41,611
6.

Georgetown 

40,518
7.

Richmond 

39,581
8.

Elizabethtown 

34,565
9.

Florence 

33,763
10.

Nicholasville 

33,458

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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.