Webster County, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
 Webster County Courthouse in Dixon | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKentucky | |
 Kentucky's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:37°31′N87°41′W / 37.52°N 87.68°W /37.52; -87.68 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kentucky |
| Founded | 1860 |
| Named after | Daniel Webster |
| Seat | Dixon |
| Largest city | Providence |
| Area | |
• Total | 336 sq mi (870 km2) |
| • Land | 332 sq mi (860 km2) |
| • Water | 3.7 sq mi (9.6 km2) 1.1% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 13,017 |
• Estimate (2024) | 12,854 |
| • Density | 39.2/sq mi (15.1/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | www |
Webster County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofKentucky. As of the2020 census, the population was 13,017.[1] Itscounty seat isDixon and its largest city isProvidence.[2] It is the southernmost county in theEvansville,IN–KY Combined Statistical Area. The county was formed in 1860 from parts ofHenderson,Hopkins, andUnion Counties[3] and named for American statesmanDaniel Webster (1782–1852).[4] It was mainly pro-Confederate during theAmerican Civil War and was the site of several skirmishes and someguerrilla warfare. Since 2018 it has been amoist county, withProvidence andSebree voting to allow alcohol sales,[5] and Clay doing so in 2022.[6]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 336 square miles (870 km2), of which 332 square miles (860 km2) is land and 3.7 square miles (9.6 km2) (1.1%) is water.[7] Webster County is part of theWestern Coal Field region ofKentucky.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 10,937 | — | |
| 1880 | 14,246 | 30.3% | |
| 1890 | 17,196 | 20.7% | |
| 1900 | 20,097 | 16.9% | |
| 1910 | 20,974 | 4.4% | |
| 1920 | 20,762 | −1.0% | |
| 1930 | 20,534 | −1.1% | |
| 1940 | 19,198 | −6.5% | |
| 1950 | 15,555 | −19.0% | |
| 1960 | 14,244 | −8.4% | |
| 1970 | 13,282 | −6.8% | |
| 1980 | 14,832 | 11.7% | |
| 1990 | 13,955 | −5.9% | |
| 2000 | 14,120 | 1.2% | |
| 2010 | 13,621 | −3.5% | |
| 2020 | 13,017 | −4.4% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 12,854 | [8] | −1.3% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010-2020[1] | |||
As of thecensus of 2010, 5,272 households, and 3,716 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 42 per square mile (16/km2). There were 5,936 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile (7.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 91.4%White, 4.1%Black orAfrican American, 0.2%Native American, 0.3%Asian, 0.3%Pacific Islander, 2.3% fromother races, and 1.4% from two or more races. 4.3% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 5,272 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55% weremarried couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 19, 5.8% from 20 to 24, 25% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.1 years. 49.7% of the population is male and 50.3% female.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,635, and the median income for a family was $49,580. Males employed full-time had a median income of $41,662 versus $26,502 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $18,879. About 11.9% of families and 16% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 21.9% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 905 | 22.47% | 2,036 | 50.55% | 1,087 | 26.99% |
| 1916 | 2,082 | 43.35% | 2,673 | 55.65% | 48 | 1.00% |
| 1920 | 3,554 | 42.23% | 4,831 | 57.41% | 30 | 0.36% |
| 1924 | 3,131 | 47.08% | 3,449 | 51.86% | 71 | 1.07% |
| 1928 | 3,527 | 49.49% | 3,591 | 50.39% | 9 | 0.13% |
| 1932 | 2,257 | 31.62% | 4,833 | 67.71% | 48 | 0.67% |
| 1936 | 1,983 | 29.20% | 4,788 | 70.49% | 21 | 0.31% |
| 1940 | 2,107 | 33.33% | 4,197 | 66.40% | 17 | 0.27% |
| 1944 | 1,840 | 35.46% | 3,324 | 64.06% | 25 | 0.48% |
| 1948 | 1,087 | 23.93% | 3,288 | 72.38% | 168 | 3.70% |
| 1952 | 1,858 | 34.50% | 3,516 | 65.28% | 12 | 0.22% |
| 1956 | 1,948 | 37.08% | 3,050 | 58.06% | 255 | 4.85% |
| 1960 | 2,498 | 44.00% | 3,179 | 56.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,217 | 24.52% | 3,741 | 75.36% | 6 | 0.12% |
| 1968 | 1,446 | 29.48% | 2,114 | 43.10% | 1,345 | 27.42% |
| 1972 | 2,396 | 57.57% | 1,712 | 41.13% | 54 | 1.30% |
| 1976 | 1,402 | 28.21% | 3,523 | 70.89% | 45 | 0.91% |
| 1980 | 1,939 | 35.03% | 3,506 | 63.34% | 90 | 1.63% |
| 1984 | 2,504 | 44.87% | 3,042 | 54.52% | 34 | 0.61% |
| 1988 | 2,159 | 41.50% | 3,019 | 58.04% | 24 | 0.46% |
| 1992 | 1,408 | 24.85% | 3,380 | 59.66% | 877 | 15.48% |
| 1996 | 1,568 | 30.73% | 2,852 | 55.90% | 682 | 13.37% |
| 2000 | 2,599 | 51.24% | 2,388 | 47.08% | 85 | 1.68% |
| 2004 | 3,207 | 57.82% | 2,304 | 41.54% | 36 | 0.65% |
| 2008 | 3,037 | 54.82% | 2,390 | 43.14% | 113 | 2.04% |
| 2012 | 3,607 | 65.94% | 1,765 | 32.27% | 98 | 1.79% |
| 2016 | 4,397 | 75.75% | 1,240 | 21.36% | 168 | 2.89% |
| 2020 | 4,506 | 75.19% | 1,412 | 23.56% | 75 | 1.25% |
| 2024 | 4,339 | 78.10% | 1,153 | 20.75% | 64 | 1.15% |
| Elected officials as of January 3, 2025[14][15] | ||
| U.S. House | James Comer (R) | KY 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Ky. Senate | Robby Mills (R) | 4 |
| Ky. House | Jim Gooch Jr. (R) | 12 |
| Central city |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Municipalities with population over 5,000 in 2010 | ||
| Municipalities with population 1,000-5,000 in 2010 | ||
| Indiana counties | ||
| Kentucky counties | ||
Municipalities and communities ofWebster County, Kentucky,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Other unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
