Cumberland County, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
 Cumberland County courthouse in Burkesville | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKentucky | |
| Coordinates:36°47′N85°23′W / 36.78°N 85.39°W /36.78; -85.39 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kentucky |
| Founded | 1798 |
| Named after | Cumberland River |
| Seat | Burkesville |
| Largest city | Burkesville |
| Government | |
| • Judge/Executive | Luke King |
| Area | |
• Total | 311 sq mi (810 km2) |
| • Land | 305 sq mi (790 km2) |
| • Water | 5.7 sq mi (15 km2) 1.8% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 5,888 |
• Estimate (2024) | 6,047 |
| • Density | 19.3/sq mi (7.45/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | explorecumberlandcounty |
Cumberland County is acounty located in thePennyroyal Plateau region of theU.S. state ofKentucky. As of the2020 census, the population was 5,888.[1] Itscounty seat isBurkesville.[2] The county was formed in 1798 and named for theCumberland River, which in turn may have been named after theDuke of Cumberland[3] or the English county ofCumberland.[4]
Cumberland County was created in 1798 from land given byGreen County.[5] In 1829, the first commercial oil well in the United States was dug three miles north of Burkesville. It is usually not recognized as a commercial well because the drillers were looking for salt brine, but the oil was bottled and sold.
It was the first county in the United States to elect a female sheriff,Pearl Carter Pace.
Burkesville is the first town downstream fromWolf Creek Dam, so it is considered flood-proof, but there have been concerns about leaks at the dam. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed repairs in 2013.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 311 square miles (810 km2), of which 305 square miles (790 km2) is land and 5.7 square miles (15 km2) (1.8%) is water.[6] Major waterways include theCumberland River and a small branch ofDale Hollow Lake which covers the southern end of the county.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 3,284 | — | |
| 1810 | 6,191 | 88.5% | |
| 1820 | 8,058 | 30.2% | |
| 1830 | 8,624 | 7.0% | |
| 1840 | 6,090 | −29.4% | |
| 1850 | 7,005 | 15.0% | |
| 1860 | 7,340 | 4.8% | |
| 1870 | 7,690 | 4.8% | |
| 1880 | 8,894 | 15.7% | |
| 1890 | 8,452 | −5.0% | |
| 1900 | 8,962 | 6.0% | |
| 1910 | 9,846 | 9.9% | |
| 1920 | 10,648 | 8.1% | |
| 1930 | 10,204 | −4.2% | |
| 1940 | 11,923 | 16.8% | |
| 1950 | 9,309 | −21.9% | |
| 1960 | 7,835 | −15.8% | |
| 1970 | 6,850 | −12.6% | |
| 1980 | 7,289 | 6.4% | |
| 1990 | 6,784 | −6.9% | |
| 2000 | 7,147 | 5.4% | |
| 2010 | 6,856 | −4.1% | |
| 2020 | 5,888 | −14.1% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 6,047 | [7] | 2.7% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010-2021[12] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 5,888. The median age was 47.8 years. 21.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.8 males age 18 and over.[13][14]
The racial makeup of the county was 92.8% White, 2.5%Black or African American, 0.1%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Asian, 0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race, and 3.8% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.3% of the population.[14]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[15]
There were 2,585 households in the county, of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[13]
There were 3,379 housing units, of which 23.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.3% were owner-occupied and 25.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.5%.[13]
As of thecensus[16] of 2000, there were 7,147 people, 2,976 households, and 2,038 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 23 per square mile (8.9/km2). There were 3,567 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (4.6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.28%White, 3.41%Black orAfrican American, 0.14%Native American, 0.04%Asian, 0.06%Pacific Islander, 0.15% fromother races, and 0.91% from two or more races. 0.60% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 2,976 households, out of which 29.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.00% weremarried couples living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.50% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $21,572, and the median income for a family was $28,701. Males had a median income of $21,313 versus $16,548 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $12,643. About 16.40% of families and 23.80% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 30.30% of those under age 18 and 33.00% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2017 the largest self-identified ancestry groups/ethnic groups in Cumberland County, Kentucky were:[17]
| Largest ancestries (2017) | Percent |
|---|---|
| English | 32.8% |
| American | 15.7% |
| Irish | 10.2% |
| German | 4.4% |
| Scots-Irish | 1.1% |
| Italian | 1.1% |
| Scottish | 1.1% |
| French (except Basque) | 1.0% |
| Polish | 0.9% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 972 | 56.91% | 577 | 33.78% | 159 | 9.31% |
| 1916 | 1,394 | 67.60% | 653 | 31.67% | 15 | 0.73% |
| 1920 | 2,380 | 71.60% | 931 | 28.01% | 13 | 0.39% |
| 1924 | 2,143 | 69.60% | 918 | 29.81% | 18 | 0.58% |
| 1928 | 2,593 | 82.79% | 538 | 17.18% | 1 | 0.03% |
| 1932 | 2,369 | 65.53% | 1,235 | 34.16% | 11 | 0.30% |
| 1936 | 2,127 | 69.40% | 935 | 30.51% | 3 | 0.10% |
| 1940 | 2,533 | 74.30% | 872 | 25.58% | 4 | 0.12% |
| 1944 | 2,619 | 78.27% | 717 | 21.43% | 10 | 0.30% |
| 1948 | 1,947 | 69.31% | 794 | 28.27% | 68 | 2.42% |
| 1952 | 2,426 | 72.44% | 909 | 27.14% | 14 | 0.42% |
| 1956 | 2,584 | 71.76% | 1,000 | 27.77% | 17 | 0.47% |
| 1960 | 2,697 | 76.25% | 840 | 23.75% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,794 | 56.70% | 1,348 | 42.60% | 22 | 0.70% |
| 1968 | 2,116 | 67.82% | 646 | 20.71% | 358 | 11.47% |
| 1972 | 2,294 | 76.42% | 686 | 22.85% | 22 | 0.73% |
| 1976 | 1,653 | 65.41% | 853 | 33.76% | 21 | 0.83% |
| 1980 | 2,216 | 71.92% | 821 | 26.65% | 44 | 1.43% |
| 1984 | 2,729 | 77.77% | 766 | 21.83% | 14 | 0.40% |
| 1988 | 2,231 | 74.49% | 753 | 25.14% | 11 | 0.37% |
| 1992 | 1,866 | 60.96% | 917 | 29.96% | 278 | 9.08% |
| 1996 | 1,654 | 62.13% | 753 | 28.29% | 255 | 9.58% |
| 2000 | 2,220 | 73.85% | 736 | 24.48% | 50 | 1.66% |
| 2004 | 2,356 | 72.74% | 848 | 26.18% | 35 | 1.08% |
| 2008 | 2,056 | 73.51% | 697 | 24.92% | 44 | 1.57% |
| 2012 | 2,216 | 77.65% | 599 | 20.99% | 39 | 1.37% |
| 2016 | 2,502 | 81.60% | 459 | 14.97% | 105 | 3.42% |
| 2020 | 2,769 | 83.68% | 508 | 15.35% | 32 | 0.97% |
| 2024 | 2,922 | 84.89% | 483 | 14.03% | 37 | 1.07% |
Like all of the heavily Unionist eastern Pennyroyal, a region of largely small farms that did not rely heavily on slavery, Cumberland County provided an exceptionally large number of soldiers for the Union Army during the Civil War.[19] Reflecting that, the county became and has remained overwhelmingly Republican following the end of theReconstruction Era. As of 2012, Cumberland County had the fewest registered Democrats, 844, out of all of Kentucky's counties.[20]
The last Democrat to carry Cumberland County at the Presidential level wasHoratio Seymour in 1868.Lyndon Johnson, in his 1964 landslide, is the only Democrat to receive 40% of the county's vote in a presidential election since 1896.
Cumberland County was adry county prior to a special election held June 28, 2016, where the measure passed 1,441 votes to 1,069 votes.
| Elected officials as of January 3, 2025[21][22] | ||
| U.S. House | James Comer (R) | KY 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Ky. Senate | Rick Girdler (R) | 15 |
| Ky. House | Amy Neighbors (R) | 21 |
Municipalities and communities ofCumberland County, Kentucky,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| City |  | |
| CDP | ||
| Other unincorporated communities | ||
36°47′N85°23′W / 36.78°N 85.39°W /36.78; -85.39
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
