| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 73,677 | — | |
| 1800 | 220,955 | 199.9% | |
| 1810 | 406,511 | 84.0% | |
| 1820 | 564,317 | 38.8% | |
| 1830 | 687,917 | 21.9% | |
| 1840 | 779,828 | 13.4% | |
| 1850 | 982,405 | 26.0% | |
| 1860 | 1,155,684 | 17.6% | |
| 1870 | 1,321,011 | 14.3% | |
| 1880 | 1,648,690 | 24.8% | |
| 1890 | 1,858,635 | 12.7% | |
| 1900 | 2,147,174 | 15.5% | |
| 1910 | 2,289,905 | 6.6% | |
| 1920 | 2,416,630 | 5.5% | |
| 1930 | 2,614,589 | 8.2% | |
| 1940 | 2,845,627 | 8.8% | |
| 1950 | 2,944,806 | 3.5% | |
| 1960 | 3,038,156 | 3.2% | |
| 1970 | 3,218,706 | 5.9% | |
| 1980 | 3,660,777 | 13.7% | |
| 1990 | 3,685,296 | 0.7% | |
| 2000 | 4,041,769 | 9.7% | |
| 2010 | 4,339,367 | 7.4% | |
| 2020 | 4,505,836 | 3.8% | |
| 2025 (est.) | 4,606,864 | 2.2% | |
| Source: 1790-2000[1], 1910–2020[2],2025[3] | |||
As of the 2010 census, the United States Commonwealth ofKentucky had an estimated population of 4,339,367, which is an increase of 297,174, or 7.4%, since the year 2000. Approximately 4.4% of Kentucky's population was foreign-born as of 2010. The population density of the state is 107.4 people per square mile.[4]
Kentucky's total population has grown during every decade since records began. However, during most decades of the 20th century there was also net out-migration from Kentucky. Since 1900, rural Kentucky counties have experienced a net loss of over 1 million people from migration, while urban areas have experienced a slight net gain.[5]
Thecenter of population of Kentucky is located inWashington County, in the city ofWillisburg.[6]
The Commonwealth of Kentucky has an overwhelmingly Anglo-Celtic ancestral origin, according to the US Census Bureau official statistics the largest ancestry isAmerican totalling 20.2%, an ancestral identification used by Old StockEnglish andScots-Irish Americans in theUpland South whose families have been in the United States for hundreds of years. The other main ancestries were: German (14,5%), Irish (12,2%), English (10,1%) and Scottish (1.9%).[7] InChristian County andFulton County, African American is the largest reported ancestry.[8] As of the 1980s the only counties in the United States where over half of the population cited "English" as their only ancestry group were all in the hills of eastern Kentucky (and made up virtually every county in this region).[9]
In 1790, historians estimate Kentucky's population was English (52%),Scots-Irish or Scots (25%), Irish (9%), Welsh, (7%), German (5%), French (2%), Dutch (1%), and Swedish (0.2%) in ethnicity.[10]
In the 1980 census 1,267,079 Kentuckians out of a total population of 3,660,777 cited that they were ofEnglish ancestry making them 31 percent of the state at that time.[11]
African Americans, who made up one-fourth of Kentucky's population prior to theCivil War, declined in number as many moved to the industrial North in theGreat Migration. Today 44.2% of Kentucky's African American population is in Jefferson County and 52% are in the Louisville Metro Area. Other areas with high concentrations, besides Christian and Fulton Counties, are the city ofPaducah, the Bluegrass, and the city ofLexington.
| Byrace | White | Black | AIAN* | Asian | NHPI* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 (total population) | 91.53% | 7.76% | 0.61% | 0.92% | 0.08% |
| 2000 (Hispanic only) | 1.35% | 0.10% | 0.04% | 0.02% | 0.01% |
| 2005 (total population) | 91.27% | 7.98% | 0.58% | 1.10% | 0.08% |
| 2005 (Hispanic only) | 1.80% | 0.12% | 0.04% | 0.03% | 0.01% |
| Growth 2000–05 (total population) | 2.97% | 6.16% | -2.21% | 23.46% | 9.78% |
| Growth 2000–05 (non-Hispanic only) | 2.44% | 5.94% | -3.28% | 23.07% | 7.98% |
| Growth 2000–05 (Hispanic only) | 37.97% | 22.34% | 13.51% | 38.48% | 19.80% |
| * AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native; NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | |||||
| Ancestry[12] | Number | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghan | 726 | ||
| Albanian | 116 |
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.m.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This section is empty. You can help byadding to it.(April 2025) |
| This section is empty. You can help byadding to it.(April 2025) |
Note: Births in table don't add up, because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number.
| Race | 2013[13] | 2014[14] | 2015[15] | 2016[16] | 2017[17] | 2018[18] | 2019[19] | 2020[20] | 2021[21] | 2022[22] | 2023[23] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 46,612 (83.7%) | 46,701 (83.1%) | 46,344 (82.8%) | 45,146 (81.4%) | 44,280 (80.9%) | 43,317 (80.3%) | 42,215 (79.5%) | 40,726 (78.8%) | 41,061 (78.6%) | 40,484 (77.4%) | 39,667 (76.3%) |
| Black | 5,458 (9.8%) | 5,571 (9.9%) | 5,507 (9.8%) | 4,902 (8.8%) | 5,006 (9.1%) | 4,950 (9.2%) | 5,034 (9.5%) | 5,154 (10.0%) | 5,124 (9.8%) | 5,043 (9.6%) | 4,936 (9.5%) |
| Asian | 1,191 (2.1%) | 1,275 (2.3%) | 1,315 (2.3%) | 1,182 (2.1%) | 1,173 (2.1%) | 1,144 (2.1%) | 1,078 (2.0%) | 1,099 (2.1%) | 1,058 (2.0%) | 1,151 (2.2%) | 1,136 (2.2%) |
| Pacific Islander | ... | ... | ... | 67 (0.1%) | 68 (0.1%) | 79 (0.1%) | 69 (0.1%) | 75 (0.1%) | 82 (0.1%) | 92 (0.2%) | 100 (0.2%) |
| American Indian | 82 (0.1%) | 76 (0.1%) | 88 (0.1%) | 55 (0.1%) | 49 (0.1%) | 68 (0.1%) | 50 (0.1%) | 53 (0.1%) | 43 (0.1%) | 59 (0.1%) | 59 (0.1%) |
| Hispanic (any race) | 2,693 (4.8%) | 2,819 (5.0%) | 3,000 (5.3%) | 3,137 (5.6%) | 3,162 (5.8%) | 3,226 (6.0%) | 3,450 (6.5%) | 3,472 (6.7%) | 3,737 (7.1%) | 4,291 (8.2%) | 4,852 (9.3%) |
| Total | 55,686 (100%) | 56,170 (100%) | 55,971 (100%) | 55,449 (100%) | 54,752 (100%) | 53,922 (100%) | 53,069 (100%) | 51,668 (100%) | 52,214 (100%) | 52,315 (100%) | 51,984 (100%) |
In 2000, The Association of Religion Data Archives reported[24] that of Kentucky's 4,041,769 residents:
Today Kentucky is home to several seminaries.Southern Baptist Theological Seminary inLouisville is the principal seminary for theSouthern Baptist Convention. Louisville is also the home of theLouisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Lexington has two seminaries,Lexington Theological Seminary, and the Baptist Seminary of Kentucky.Asbury Theological Seminary is located in nearbyWilmore. In addition to seminaries, there are several colleges affiliated with denominations.Transylvania inLexington is affiliated with theDisciples of Christ. In Louisville,Bellarmine andSpalding are affiliated with theRoman Catholic Church. InOwensboro, Kentucky,Kentucky Wesleyan College is associated with the Methodist Church andBrescia University is associated with the Roman Catholic Church. Louisville is also home to the headquarters of thePresbyterian Church (USA) and their printing press. Louisville is also home to a sizableMuslim[25] andJewish population.
Religious movements were important in the early history of Kentucky. Perhaps the most famous event was the interdenominational revival in August 1801 at theCane Ridge Meeting House inBourbon County. As part of what is now known as the "Western Revival", thousands began meeting around aPresbyteriancommunion service on August 6, 1801, and ended six days later on August 12, 1801, when both humans and horses ran out of food.[26] Some claim that theCane Ridge Revival was propagated from an earliercamp meeting atRed River Meeting House inLogan County.[27]
