Knox County, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
County | |
 Knox County courthouse in Barbourville | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKentucky | |
 Kentucky's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:36°53′26″N83°51′15″W / 36.89067°N 83.85404°W /36.89067; -83.85404 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kentucky |
| Founded | December 19, 1799 |
| Named after | Henry Knox |
| Seat | Barbourville |
| Largest city | Barbourville |
| Area | |
• Total | 388 sq mi (1,000 km2) |
| • Land | 386 sq mi (1,000 km2) |
| • Water | 1.5 sq mi (3.9 km2) 0.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 30,193 |
• Estimate (2024) | 29,657 |
| • Density | 78.2/sq mi (30.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 5th |
| Website | knoxfiscalcourt |
Knox County is acounty located inAppalachia near the southeastern corner of theU.S. state ofKentucky. As of the2020 census, the population was 30,193.[1] Itscounty seat isBarbourville.[2] The county is named forGeneralHenry Knox. It is one of the few coal-producing counties in Kentucky that has not suffered massive population loss. Knox County is included in theCorbin, KYMicropolitan Statistical Area.
Knox County was formed on December 19, 1799, from portions ofLincoln County.[3] It is usually assumed to be named forHenry Knox of Massachusetts, a Revolutionary War general and the firstUnited States Secretary of War.[4] However, there is strong evidence that it was actually named for James Knox. Knox was a pre-war explorer and long hunter, a veteran of Dunmore's War and the Revolutionary War, a pioneer guide, road-builder, and legislator. Knox had used theWilderness Road, which traverses the county, as an explorer and later oversaw its improvement into a wagon road.[5][6][7][8]
TheCivil WarBattle of Barbourville was fought on September 19, 1861, between 800 Confederate soldiers from GeneralFelix Zollicoffer's command and 300 Union troops who attempted to defend the Union's Camp Andrew Johnson. The Union men tore up the planks on the bridge in an attempt to keep the Confederates from crossing, but the more numerous Confederates succeeded anyway. They destroyed the camp and seized the arms and equipment it contained.
The present courthouse, completed in 1964, is the fifth courthouse to serve the county.[9]
The county has historically hadcoal mining as the driver of its economy. Unlike other areas of southeastern Kentucky, it has continued to maintain jobs and much of its population.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 388 square miles (1,000 km2), of which 386 square miles (1,000 km2) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) (0.4%) is water.[10]
The largest employers in Knox County are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,406 people), Retail Trade (1,331 people), and Educational Services (1,226 people). But the highest-paying jobs are with mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction. Real estate sales, and rental and leasing also pay well, followed by finance and insurance.[11]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | 5,875 | — | |
| 1820 | 3,661 | −37.7% | |
| 1830 | 4,315 | 17.9% | |
| 1840 | 5,722 | 32.6% | |
| 1850 | 7,050 | 23.2% | |
| 1860 | 7,707 | 9.3% | |
| 1870 | 8,294 | 7.6% | |
| 1880 | 10,587 | 27.6% | |
| 1890 | 13,762 | 30.0% | |
| 1900 | 17,372 | 26.2% | |
| 1910 | 22,116 | 27.3% | |
| 1920 | 24,172 | 9.3% | |
| 1930 | 26,266 | 8.7% | |
| 1940 | 31,029 | 18.1% | |
| 1950 | 30,409 | −2.0% | |
| 1960 | 25,258 | −16.9% | |
| 1970 | 23,689 | −6.2% | |
| 1980 | 30,239 | 27.6% | |
| 1990 | 29,676 | −1.9% | |
| 2000 | 31,795 | 7.1% | |
| 2010 | 31,883 | 0.3% | |
| 2020 | 30,193 | −5.3% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 29,657 | [12] | −1.8% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[13] 1790-1960[14] 1900-1990[15] 1990-2000[16] 2010-2020[1] | |||
As of thecensus[17] of 2000, there were 31,795 people, 12,416 households, and 8,939 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 82 per square mile (32/km2). There were 13,999 housing units at an average density of 36 per square mile (14/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.84%White, 0.82%Black orAfrican American, 0.25%Native American, 0.17%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.08% fromother races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 0.57% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 12,416 households, out of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% weremarried couples living together, 13.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.60% 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 3.01.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.20% under the age of 18, 9.70% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $18,294, and the median income for a family was $23,136. Males had a median income of $24,833 versus $18,390 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $10,660. About 29.60% of families and 34.80% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 42.40% of those under age 18 and 28.90% of those age 65 or over.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 1,391 | 39.02% | 888 | 24.91% | 1,286 | 36.07% |
| 1916 | 3,192 | 73.18% | 1,126 | 25.81% | 44 | 1.01% |
| 1920 | 5,228 | 76.68% | 1,534 | 22.50% | 56 | 0.82% |
| 1924 | 3,767 | 67.34% | 1,537 | 27.48% | 290 | 5.18% |
| 1928 | 5,928 | 79.76% | 1,497 | 20.14% | 7 | 0.09% |
| 1932 | 4,513 | 56.85% | 3,375 | 42.52% | 50 | 0.63% |
| 1936 | 4,921 | 58.97% | 3,419 | 40.97% | 5 | 0.06% |
| 1940 | 5,003 | 60.06% | 3,319 | 39.84% | 8 | 0.10% |
| 1944 | 5,178 | 68.40% | 2,385 | 31.51% | 7 | 0.09% |
| 1948 | 4,241 | 58.98% | 2,814 | 39.13% | 136 | 1.89% |
| 1952 | 5,470 | 66.28% | 2,766 | 33.52% | 17 | 0.21% |
| 1956 | 6,341 | 71.39% | 2,539 | 28.59% | 2 | 0.02% |
| 1960 | 5,814 | 66.29% | 2,956 | 33.71% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 3,583 | 46.11% | 4,150 | 53.41% | 37 | 0.48% |
| 1968 | 4,388 | 57.77% | 2,244 | 29.55% | 963 | 12.68% |
| 1972 | 5,017 | 72.93% | 1,805 | 26.24% | 57 | 0.83% |
| 1976 | 4,931 | 56.93% | 3,642 | 42.05% | 88 | 1.02% |
| 1980 | 5,539 | 59.95% | 3,543 | 38.34% | 158 | 1.71% |
| 1984 | 5,730 | 65.87% | 2,932 | 33.71% | 37 | 0.43% |
| 1988 | 4,903 | 62.21% | 2,919 | 37.03% | 60 | 0.76% |
| 1992 | 5,011 | 51.00% | 3,787 | 38.54% | 1,027 | 10.45% |
| 1996 | 4,502 | 49.50% | 3,736 | 41.08% | 857 | 9.42% |
| 2000 | 6,058 | 61.13% | 3,690 | 37.24% | 162 | 1.63% |
| 2004 | 8,108 | 67.41% | 3,822 | 31.78% | 98 | 0.81% |
| 2008 | 8,150 | 71.56% | 3,074 | 26.99% | 165 | 1.45% |
| 2012 | 8,467 | 76.28% | 2,484 | 22.38% | 149 | 1.34% |
| 2016 | 9,885 | 82.29% | 1,761 | 14.66% | 366 | 3.05% |
| 2020 | 11,012 | 82.97% | 2,114 | 15.93% | 147 | 1.11% |
| 2024 | 11,178 | 84.82% | 1,821 | 13.82% | 180 | 1.37% |
Knox County is part of the Unionist bloc of counties covering the easternPennyroyal Plateau and the western part of theEastern Coalfield. Like all counties in this bloc, Knox County is majority white by a high proportion, strongly opposed secession,[19] and has been rock-ribbed Republican ever sincethe Civil War. The only Democrat to carry Knox County since then has beenLyndon Johnson during his 1964 landslide.
On the state level, Knox County has historically been strongly Republican, having only voted for the Democratic candidate forGovernor six times since 1900. Since 2000, Knox County has voted for the Democratic candidate only once, in2011.
| Elected officials as of January 3, 2025[20][21] | ||
| U.S. House | Hal Rogers (R) | KY 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Ky. Senate | Robert Stivers (R) | 25 |
| Ky. House | Tom Smith (R) | 86 |
Three public school districts serve the county:[22]
Union College, a smallMethodist-affiliatedliberal arts college, is located in Barbourville.
Knox County serves as the real-life counterpart to the fictional Knox County in the horror gameProject Zomboid.[23] In the game, Knox County is where the outbreak begins, before spreading globally in a matter of weeks.
Municipalities and communities ofKnox County, Kentucky,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Other unincorporated communities | ||
| post offices (and the creeks that they are on) |
| |
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county | |
| Counties | |
|---|---|
| Cities and towns Over 10k | |
| Cities and towns 5k-10k | |
| Cities and towns 1k-5k | |
| Cities and towns under 1k | |
| Statistical areas | |
| See also | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
36°53′26″N83°51′15″W / 36.89067°N 83.85404°W /36.89067; -83.85404
