Monroe County, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
 Monroe County courthouse in Tompkinsville | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKentucky | |
| Coordinates:36°43′N85°43′W / 36.71°N 85.72°W /36.71; -85.72 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kentucky |
| Founded | 1820 |
| Named after | James Monroe |
| Seat | Tompkinsville |
| Largest city | Tompkinsville |
| Area | |
• Total | 332 sq mi (860 km2) |
| • Land | 329 sq mi (850 km2) |
| • Water | 2.7 sq mi (7.0 km2) 0.8% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 11,338 |
• Estimate (2024) | 11,163 |
| • Density | 34.5/sq mi (13.3/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | www |
Monroe County is acounty located in the EasternPennyroyal Plateau region of theU.S. state ofKentucky. Itscounty seat isTompkinsville.[1] The county is named forPresidentJames Monroe. It was a prohibition ordry county until November 7, 2023, when voters approved the sale of alcohol.[2]
Monroe County is the only county of the 3,144 in the United States named for a President where the county seat is named for his vice-president. The county was formed in 1820; and named for James Monroe the fifth President, author of the Monroe Doctrine.[3] The county seat was named forDaniel Tompkins. They both served from 1817 to 1825.
Confederate Gen.John Hunt Morgan's first Kentucky raid occurred here on July 9, 1862. Morgan's Raiders, coming from Tennessee, attacked Major Thomas J. Jordan's 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry at USA garrison. Raiders captured 30 Union soldiers and destroyed tents and stores. They took 20 wagons, 50 mules, 40 horses, sugar and coffee supplies. At Glasgow they burned supplies, then went north, raiding 16 other towns before returning to Tennessee.
PresidentAbraham Lincoln's half third cousin, Thomas Lincoln (1780–1844), lived in the Meshack Creek area of present-day Monroe County and served two terms as constable of Cumberland County in 1802 and 1804. In 1810 he left Kentucky and migrated to Ohio and Indiana. In 1799 he married Patsy Gee from Meshack Creek.
Home of theOld Mulkey Meetinghouse State Historic Site. The 20-acre (81,000 m2) park features the oldest log meetinghouse in Kentucky, built in 1804 during a period of religious revival. Many Revolutionary War soldiers and pioneers, includingDaniel Boone's sister, Hannah, are buried there. The structure has twelve corners in the shape of a cross and three doors, symbolic of the Holy Trinity. The Old Mulkey Church, originally called the Mill Creek Baptist Church, was established by a small band of pioneer Baptists from North and South Carolina and led by Philip Mulkey. The site became part of the park system in 1931.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 332 square miles (860 km2), of which 329 square miles (850 km2) is land and 2.7 square miles (7.0 km2) (0.8%) is water.[4]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 5,340 | — | |
| 1840 | 6,526 | 22.2% | |
| 1850 | 7,756 | 18.8% | |
| 1860 | 8,551 | 10.3% | |
| 1870 | 9,231 | 8.0% | |
| 1880 | 10,741 | 16.4% | |
| 1890 | 10,989 | 2.3% | |
| 1900 | 13,053 | 18.8% | |
| 1910 | 13,663 | 4.7% | |
| 1920 | 14,214 | 4.0% | |
| 1930 | 13,077 | −8.0% | |
| 1940 | 14,070 | 7.6% | |
| 1950 | 13,770 | −2.1% | |
| 1960 | 11,799 | −14.3% | |
| 1970 | 11,642 | −1.3% | |
| 1980 | 12,353 | 6.1% | |
| 1990 | 11,401 | −7.7% | |
| 2000 | 11,756 | 3.1% | |
| 2010 | 10,963 | −6.7% | |
| 2020 | 11,338 | 3.4% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 11,163 | [5] | −1.5% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010-2021[10] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 11,338. The median age was 42.1 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.2 males age 18 and over.[11][12]
The racial makeup of the county was 92.5% White, 1.9%Black or African American, 0.3%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Asian, 0.0%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 2.4% from some other race, and 2.7% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.2% of the population.[12]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[13]
There were 4,557 households in the county, of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[11]
There were 5,237 housing units, of which 13.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 70.8% were owner-occupied and 29.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.7%.[11]
As of thecensus[14] of 2000, there were 11,756 people, 4,741 households, and 3,380 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 36 per square mile (14/km2). There were 5,288 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.57%White, 2.76%Black orAfrican American, 0.13%Native American, 0.01%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 0.93% fromother races, and 0.59% from two or more races. 1.45% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 4,741 households, out of which 31.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.40% weremarried couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 26.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.90% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 15.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $22,356, and the median income for a family was $27,112. Males had a median income of $21,820 versus $17,783 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $14,365. About 20.00% of families and 23.40% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 27.60% of those under age 18 and 30.30% of those age 65 or over. The county has long been a "persistent poverty" county as defined by theAppalachian Regional Commission.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 1,072 | 41.81% | 806 | 31.44% | 686 | 26.76% |
| 1916 | 2,008 | 69.29% | 882 | 30.43% | 8 | 0.28% |
| 1920 | 3,426 | 75.31% | 1,108 | 24.36% | 15 | 0.33% |
| 1924 | 2,489 | 71.18% | 970 | 27.74% | 38 | 1.09% |
| 1928 | 3,127 | 78.59% | 843 | 21.19% | 9 | 0.23% |
| 1932 | 2,559 | 61.07% | 1,620 | 38.66% | 11 | 0.26% |
| 1936 | 2,345 | 63.28% | 1,352 | 36.48% | 9 | 0.24% |
| 1940 | 3,321 | 70.33% | 1,390 | 29.44% | 11 | 0.23% |
| 1944 | 3,648 | 76.82% | 1,101 | 23.18% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 2,812 | 68.04% | 1,249 | 30.22% | 72 | 1.74% |
| 1952 | 3,675 | 77.22% | 1,084 | 22.78% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 3,759 | 74.97% | 1,255 | 25.03% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 4,337 | 81.72% | 970 | 18.28% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 3,293 | 65.73% | 1,713 | 34.19% | 4 | 0.08% |
| 1968 | 4,086 | 76.06% | 693 | 12.90% | 593 | 11.04% |
| 1972 | 3,770 | 82.57% | 768 | 16.82% | 28 | 0.61% |
| 1976 | 3,352 | 69.91% | 1,412 | 29.45% | 31 | 0.65% |
| 1980 | 4,592 | 79.00% | 1,156 | 19.89% | 65 | 1.12% |
| 1984 | 4,760 | 81.47% | 1,052 | 18.00% | 31 | 0.53% |
| 1988 | 4,214 | 80.02% | 1,025 | 19.46% | 27 | 0.51% |
| 1992 | 3,776 | 65.07% | 1,515 | 26.11% | 512 | 8.82% |
| 1996 | 3,300 | 68.03% | 1,114 | 22.96% | 437 | 9.01% |
| 2000 | 4,377 | 78.60% | 1,158 | 20.79% | 34 | 0.61% |
| 2004 | 4,657 | 79.70% | 1,158 | 19.82% | 28 | 0.48% |
| 2008 | 3,537 | 75.82% | 1,067 | 22.87% | 61 | 1.31% |
| 2012 | 3,762 | 79.27% | 936 | 19.72% | 48 | 1.01% |
| 2016 | 4,278 | 85.71% | 601 | 12.04% | 112 | 2.24% |
| 2020 | 4,628 | 86.83% | 657 | 12.33% | 45 | 0.84% |
| 2024 | 4,679 | 88.15% | 576 | 10.85% | 53 | 1.00% |
Located on the overwhelminglyUnionist eastern Pennyroyal, which was too hilly to have large plantations with many slaves, Monroe County was split 50/50 to secession duringthe Civil War.[16] However, it identified with the GOP after the return of peace and has remained strongly Republican ever since. The last Democrat to carry Monroe County at a Presidential level wasGeorge B. McClellan in 1864, and since at least 1896 no Democrat has managed to reach 40 percent of the county's vote. Underlining how Republican the county is,Franklin D. Roosevelt did no better than 38 percent in his four successful bids for president, and actually polled two points lower in 1936 (while winning 46 out of 48 states) than he did in 1932.Lyndon Johnson's 1964 landslide is the last time a Democrat passed 30 percent. The Democrats have managed even 20 percent just five times since Johnson, the last beingBarack Obama in 2008.
Since the 1970s, splits among the county's Republicans have led to the election of a few Democrats and independents for local offices. However, there are no elected Democrats above the county level.
The county has produced two members of Congress,Tim Lee Carter andJames Comer.
| Elected officials as of January 3, 2025[17][18] | ||
| U.S. House | James Comer (R) | KY 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Ky. Senate | Max Wise (R) | 16 |
| Ky. House | Amy Neighbors (R) | 21 |
Municipalities and communities ofMonroe County, Kentucky,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
36°43′N85°43′W / 36.71°N 85.72°W /36.71; -85.72
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