Pulaski County | |
|---|---|
 Pulaski County Courthouse | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKentucky | |
 Kentucky's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:37°06′N84°35′W / 37.1°N 84.58°W /37.1; -84.58 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kentucky |
| Founded | 1798 |
| Named after | Casimir Pulaski |
| Seat | Somerset |
| Largest city | Somerset |
| Area | |
• Total | 677 sq mi (1,750 km2) |
| • Land | 658 sq mi (1,700 km2) |
| • Water | 19 sq mi (49 km2) 2.8% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 65,034 |
• Estimate (2024) | 66,842 |
| • Density | 98.8/sq mi (38.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 5th |
| Website | pulaskigov |
Pulaski County is acounty in the U.S.Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the2020 census, the population was 65,034.[1] Itscounty seat isSomerset.[2] The county was founded in December 1798 from land given byLincoln andGreen Counties and named for Polish patriotCountCasimir Pulaski.[3][4][5] Pulaski County comprises the Somerset, KYMicropolitan Statistical Area. Somerset's population is just over 11,000, but the Micropolitan Area for Somerset/Pulaski County is over 65,000.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 677 square miles (1,750 km2), of which 658 square miles (1,700 km2) is land and 19 square miles (49 km2) (2.8%) is water.[6] It is the third-largest county by area in Kentucky.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 3,161 | — | |
| 1810 | 6,897 | 118.2% | |
| 1820 | 7,597 | 10.1% | |
| 1830 | 9,500 | 25.0% | |
| 1840 | 9,620 | 1.3% | |
| 1850 | 14,195 | 47.6% | |
| 1860 | 17,201 | 21.2% | |
| 1870 | 17,670 | 2.7% | |
| 1880 | 21,318 | 20.6% | |
| 1890 | 25,731 | 20.7% | |
| 1900 | 31,293 | 21.6% | |
| 1910 | 35,986 | 15.0% | |
| 1920 | 34,010 | −5.5% | |
| 1930 | 35,640 | 4.8% | |
| 1940 | 39,863 | 11.8% | |
| 1950 | 38,452 | −3.5% | |
| 1960 | 34,403 | −10.5% | |
| 1970 | 35,234 | 2.4% | |
| 1980 | 45,803 | 30.0% | |
| 1990 | 49,489 | 8.0% | |
| 2000 | 56,217 | 13.6% | |
| 2010 | 63,063 | 12.2% | |
| 2020 | 65,034 | 3.1% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 66,842 | [7] | 2.8% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10] 1990–2000[11] 2010–2020[1] | |||
As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 56,217 people, 22,719 households, and 16,334 families residing in the county. The population density was 85 per square mile (33/km2). There were 27,181 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile (16/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.48%White, 1.07%Black orAfrican American, 0.22%Native American, 0.37%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.17% fromother races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 0.81% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 22,719 households, out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.50% were married couples living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.40% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $27,370, and the median income for a family was $32,350. Males had a median income of $27,398 versus $19,236 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,352. About 14.80% of families and 19.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.90% of those under age 18 and 16.60% of those age 65 or over.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 1,731 | 31.01% | 1,980 | 35.47% | 1,871 | 33.52% |
| 1916 | 4,136 | 61.35% | 2,531 | 37.54% | 75 | 1.11% |
| 1920 | 7,262 | 65.67% | 3,749 | 33.90% | 48 | 0.43% |
| 1924 | 6,435 | 62.66% | 3,158 | 30.75% | 676 | 6.58% |
| 1928 | 9,348 | 78.84% | 2,494 | 21.03% | 15 | 0.13% |
| 1932 | 6,905 | 58.22% | 4,931 | 41.57% | 25 | 0.21% |
| 1936 | 7,570 | 61.51% | 4,711 | 38.28% | 25 | 0.20% |
| 1940 | 8,533 | 63.36% | 4,896 | 36.35% | 39 | 0.29% |
| 1944 | 8,318 | 67.47% | 3,934 | 31.91% | 76 | 0.62% |
| 1948 | 7,549 | 64.93% | 3,844 | 33.06% | 234 | 2.01% |
| 1952 | 9,651 | 70.41% | 4,032 | 29.42% | 24 | 0.18% |
| 1956 | 10,636 | 72.99% | 3,899 | 26.76% | 37 | 0.25% |
| 1960 | 11,899 | 79.35% | 3,097 | 20.65% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 7,383 | 55.60% | 5,840 | 43.98% | 55 | 0.41% |
| 1968 | 8,290 | 64.26% | 2,823 | 21.88% | 1,788 | 13.86% |
| 1972 | 10,602 | 76.99% | 3,080 | 22.37% | 88 | 0.64% |
| 1976 | 9,226 | 61.17% | 5,752 | 38.14% | 105 | 0.70% |
| 1980 | 12,970 | 65.11% | 6,570 | 32.98% | 379 | 1.90% |
| 1984 | 14,434 | 76.40% | 4,384 | 23.20% | 75 | 0.40% |
| 1988 | 13,482 | 73.50% | 4,788 | 26.10% | 72 | 0.39% |
| 1992 | 11,423 | 58.84% | 5,465 | 28.15% | 2,526 | 13.01% |
| 1996 | 11,945 | 63.44% | 5,340 | 28.36% | 1,544 | 8.20% |
| 2000 | 15,845 | 73.56% | 5,415 | 25.14% | 281 | 1.30% |
| 2004 | 19,535 | 76.56% | 5,829 | 22.84% | 152 | 0.60% |
| 2008 | 19,862 | 77.09% | 5,590 | 21.70% | 314 | 1.22% |
| 2012 | 20,714 | 79.66% | 4,976 | 19.14% | 313 | 1.20% |
| 2016 | 22,902 | 81.67% | 4,208 | 15.01% | 931 | 3.32% |
| 2020 | 25,442 | 80.62% | 5,666 | 17.95% | 449 | 1.42% |
| 2024 | 26,051 | 82.09% | 5,351 | 16.86% | 333 | 1.05% |
As is typical of the Unionist bloc of south-central Kentucky comprising the easternPennyroyal Plateau and the western part of theEastern Coalfield, Pulaski County has been deep red Republican ever since the Civil War. The solitary Democrat to carry Pulaski County since that time has been Woodrow Wilson in 1912 — and Wilson did so only when the Republican Party was deadlocked between the conservative incumbentTaft and the progressiveTheodore Roosevelt— Wilson took just 34.68 percent of the county's vote and won Pulaski only by 195 votes over Roosevelt and 249 over Taft.[14]
With the exception of the cities of Burnside and Somerset, Pulaski County is adry county.
| Elected officials as of January 3, 2025[15][16] | ||
| U.S. House | Hal Rogers (R) | KY 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Ky. Senate | Rick Girdler (R) | 15 |
| Ky. House | Ken Upchurch (R) | 52 |
| Josh Bray (R) | 71 | |
| David Meade (R) | 80 | |
| Josh Branscum (R) | 83 | |
| Shane Baker (R) | 85 | |
Three public school districts serve the county:[17]
There are also several private schools in the county, including Somerset Christian School.
Campbellsville University-Somerset, Noe Education CenterSomerset is a regional center for Campbellsville University located in Campbellsville, KY. The Somerset Noe Education Center offers a variety of degree and certificate programs. CU-Somerset prides itself on being flexible and affordable for students from across the nation.
Somerset Community College is one of 16 two-year, open-admissions colleges of theKentucky Community and Technical College System. The college offers academic, general education, and technical curricula leading to certificates, diplomas, and associate degrees. The college's Somerset Campus is located on Monticello Street in Somerset, across the street from theCenter for Rural Development.
U.S. Highway South 27 runs through Pulaski County from north to south and Highway 80 runs East to West. Through the city limits of Somerset, Highway 27 stems into a three-lane road with a u-turn and left turn options at each stoplight. Many food chains, local businesses and commerce centers are strewn along the highway, due to accessibility and consistent traffic throughout the area. Outside the Somerset city limits, the highway becomes a four-lane road until it becomes a two-lane highway through downtown Burnside just south of Somerset.
Intersecting these highways are many junctions and bypasses that have been paved in order to allow quick and easy traffic flow through the county, revolving around the circumscribedKentucky Route 914 around the outskirts of Somerset, in which transporters can enter through or exit from the city from any direction easily. These series of roads mimic the infrastructure of larger cities such asInterstate 465 inIndianapolis, Indiana andNew Circle Road inLexington, Kentucky. Many of these roads were paved in the 2000s. Despite the grand area of the county, the accessibility from one end to the other is smooth and expedited.
Lake Cumberland Regional Airport is located in Pulaski County, on the southern end of Somerset's US 27 business district. The airport is owned by the city of Somerset and Pulaski County. It also serves the area around Lake Cumberland. It is mostly used for general aviation, and from late 2008 until February 2010, was served by one commercial airline, Locair. Currently, the $3 million federally funded passenger terminal is not in use.
The airport was renamed in 2008; it was formerly known as Somerset-Pulaski County Airport or J.T. Wilson Field.[3]
Municipalities and communities ofPulaski County, Kentucky,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
