Hickman County, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
 Hickman County Courthouse in Clinton | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKentucky | |
 Kentucky's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:36°41′N88°59′W / 36.68°N 88.98°W /36.68; -88.98 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kentucky |
| Founded | 1821 |
| Named after | Paschal Hickman |
| Seat | Clinton |
| Largest city | Clinton |
| Area | |
• Total | 253 sq mi (660 km2) |
| • Land | 242 sq mi (630 km2) |
| • Water | 11 sq mi (28 km2) 4.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 4,521 |
• Estimate (2024) | 4,393 |
| • Density | 18.7/sq mi (7.21/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | www |
Hickman County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofKentucky. As of the2020 census, the population was 4,521,[1] making it the third-least populous county in Kentucky. Itscounty seat isClinton.[2] The county was formed in 1821.[3] It is the least densely populated county in the state and is a prohibition ordry county.
Founded in 1821, Hickman County was the seventy-first in order of formation. It was named for CaptainPaschal Hickman of the 1st Rifle Regiment, Kentucky Militia.[4][5] A resident ofFranklin County, Kentucky, Hickman was wounded and captured at theBattle of Frenchtown in January 1813 and was killed by Indians in theMassacre of the River Raisin.
Columbus, Kentucky, in the northwest of the county and located on theMississippi River, was the original county seat. A log structure built in 1823 served as the courthouse. In 1830, the county seat was moved to the more centrally locatedClinton. Since 1845 whenFulton County, Kentucky was partitioned, Hickman County has maintained its current borders.
In 1861, early in theAmerican Civil War, theConfederate Army establishedFort de Russey on the strategically located bluffs at Columbus across the river from Belmont,Missouri. Confederate GeneralLeonidas Polk knew it was important to control the river, and wanted to extend a massive chain across the Mississippi to block Union forces from going downstream. (This was never achieved.) The fort was garrisoned with several thousand troops and a six-gun battery was installed; a smaller force was based at a Confederate camp in Belmont.
Union Gen.Ulysses S. Grant moved troops from his base atCairo, Illinois, and attacked Belmont in November 1861, his first battle of the war. He was ultimately defeated by Confederate troops sent from Columbus across the river to reinforce the Confederate defense; they were led by Polk.[6][7] The former site of the Confederate fortifications near Columbus, Kentucky is now theColumbus-Belmont State Park, commemorating all the actions of the day that led to Union defeat here.[8]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 253 square miles (660 km2), of which 242 square miles (630 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (4.3%) is water.[9] The elevation in the county ranges from 276 to 510 feet (84 to 155 m) above sea level. The county's western border is formed by theMississippi River, nearly a mile wide here, with the state of Missouri on the other side. Some portions of the county are landlocked toMissouri west of the Mississippi.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 5,198 | — | |
| 1840 | 8,968 | 72.5% | |
| 1850 | 4,791 | −46.6% | |
| 1860 | 7,008 | 46.3% | |
| 1870 | 8,453 | 20.6% | |
| 1880 | 10,651 | 26.0% | |
| 1890 | 11,637 | 9.3% | |
| 1900 | 11,745 | 0.9% | |
| 1910 | 11,750 | 0.0% | |
| 1920 | 10,244 | −12.8% | |
| 1930 | 8,725 | −14.8% | |
| 1940 | 9,142 | 4.8% | |
| 1950 | 7,778 | −14.9% | |
| 1960 | 6,747 | −13.3% | |
| 1970 | 6,264 | −7.2% | |
| 1980 | 6,065 | −3.2% | |
| 1990 | 5,566 | −8.2% | |
| 2000 | 5,262 | −5.5% | |
| 2010 | 4,902 | −6.8% | |
| 2020 | 4,521 | −7.8% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 4,393 | [10] | −2.8% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[11] 1790-1960[12] 1900-1990[13] 1990-2000[14] 2010-2021[15] | |||
As of thecensus[16] of 2000, there were 5,262 people, 2,188 households, and 1,542 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 22 per square mile (8.5/km2). There were 2,436 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (3.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 88.35%White, 9.90%Black orAfrican American, 0.29%Native American, 0.06%Asian, 0.17% fromother races, and 1.24% from two or more races. 1.03% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 2,188 households, out of which 28.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.50% weremarried couples living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.50% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.10% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 25.90% from 45 to 64, and 18.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 91.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,615, and the median income for a family was $37,049. Males had a median income of $28,438 versus $18,506 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,279. About 14.20% of families and 17.40% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 27.70% of those under age 18 and 13.80% of those age 65 or over.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1836 | 198 | 27.54% | 521 | 72.46% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1840 | 393 | 36.49% | 684 | 63.51% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1844 | 304 | 29.12% | 740 | 70.88% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1848 | 169 | 32.38% | 353 | 67.62% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1852 | 155 | 29.03% | 379 | 70.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1856 | 0 | 0.00% | 631 | 72.11% | 244 | 27.89% |
| 1860 | 1 | 0.10% | 66 | 6.81% | 902 | 93.09% |
| 1864 | 289 | 56.45% | 223 | 43.55% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1868 | 41 | 3.99% | 987 | 96.01% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1872 | 401 | 34.04% | 777 | 65.96% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1876 | 381 | 22.44% | 1,317 | 77.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1880 | 386 | 26.01% | 1,069 | 72.04% | 29 | 1.95% |
| 1884 | 489 | 28.36% | 1,204 | 69.84% | 31 | 1.80% |
| 1888 | 383 | 25.31% | 1,053 | 69.60% | 77 | 5.09% |
| 1892 | 460 | 24.31% | 1,155 | 61.05% | 277 | 14.64% |
| 1896 | 727 | 26.53% | 1,928 | 70.36% | 85 | 3.10% |
| 1900 | 862 | 30.98% | 1,876 | 67.43% | 44 | 1.58% |
| 1904 | 702 | 28.68% | 1,680 | 68.63% | 66 | 2.70% |
| 1908 | 658 | 25.44% | 1,890 | 73.09% | 38 | 1.47% |
| 1912 | 365 | 17.66% | 1,540 | 74.50% | 162 | 7.84% |
| 1916 | 539 | 21.05% | 1,982 | 77.42% | 39 | 1.52% |
| 1920 | 866 | 22.01% | 3,045 | 77.40% | 23 | 0.58% |
| 1924 | 618 | 21.27% | 2,270 | 78.14% | 17 | 0.59% |
| 1928 | 767 | 26.12% | 2,163 | 73.67% | 6 | 0.20% |
| 1932 | 446 | 11.77% | 3,327 | 87.81% | 16 | 0.42% |
| 1936 | 385 | 13.04% | 2,548 | 86.31% | 19 | 0.64% |
| 1940 | 490 | 15.05% | 2,758 | 84.73% | 7 | 0.22% |
| 1944 | 588 | 22.60% | 2,005 | 77.06% | 9 | 0.35% |
| 1948 | 326 | 12.26% | 2,143 | 80.59% | 190 | 7.15% |
| 1952 | 871 | 30.40% | 1,988 | 69.39% | 6 | 0.21% |
| 1956 | 785 | 24.82% | 2,367 | 74.83% | 11 | 0.35% |
| 1960 | 968 | 30.79% | 2,176 | 69.21% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 613 | 22.10% | 2,149 | 77.47% | 12 | 0.43% |
| 1968 | 623 | 23.19% | 880 | 32.76% | 1,183 | 44.04% |
| 1972 | 1,430 | 56.66% | 976 | 38.67% | 118 | 4.68% |
| 1976 | 585 | 21.54% | 2,035 | 74.93% | 96 | 3.53% |
| 1980 | 1,143 | 42.84% | 1,456 | 54.57% | 69 | 2.59% |
| 1984 | 1,380 | 56.63% | 1,049 | 43.04% | 8 | 0.33% |
| 1988 | 1,142 | 49.33% | 1,158 | 50.02% | 15 | 0.65% |
| 1992 | 861 | 35.04% | 1,296 | 52.75% | 300 | 12.21% |
| 1996 | 695 | 31.98% | 1,220 | 56.14% | 258 | 11.87% |
| 2000 | 1,151 | 54.19% | 940 | 44.26% | 33 | 1.55% |
| 2004 | 1,395 | 59.56% | 926 | 39.54% | 21 | 0.90% |
| 2008 | 1,406 | 62.49% | 812 | 36.09% | 32 | 1.42% |
| 2012 | 1,431 | 66.90% | 686 | 32.07% | 22 | 1.03% |
| 2016 | 1,657 | 76.82% | 449 | 20.82% | 51 | 2.36% |
| 2020 | 1,714 | 77.94% | 458 | 20.83% | 27 | 1.23% |
| 2024 | 1,656 | 80.04% | 394 | 19.04% | 19 | 0.92% |
Hickman's voting pattern is typical for a county politically aligned with theSolid South, being quite loyal to the Democrats even during some of their biggest nationwide defeats until1968. For the remainder of the century, it still largely leaned Democratic, but starting in2000, has become increasingly Republican in every new election.
| Elected officials as of January 3, 2025[19][20] | ||
| U.S. House | James Comer (R) | KY 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Ky. Senate | Jason Howell (R) | 1 |
| Ky. House | Steven Rudy (R) | 1 |
Municipalities and communities ofHickman County, Kentucky,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
36°41′N88°59′W / 36.68°N 88.98°W /36.68; -88.98
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| National | |
| Other | |
