Breathitt County | |
|---|---|
 Breathitt County Courthouse in Jackson | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKentucky | |
 Kentucky's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:37°31′N83°19′W / 37.52°N 83.32°W /37.52; -83.32 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kentucky |
| Founded | 1839 |
| Named after | John Breathitt |
| Seat | Jackson |
| Largest city | Jackson |
| Area | |
• Total | 495 sq mi (1,280 km2) |
| • Land | 492 sq mi (1,270 km2) |
| • Water | 2.9 sq mi (8 km2) 0.6% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 13,718 |
• Estimate (2024) | 12,804 |
| • Density | 28/sq mi (11/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 5th |
| Website | breathittcounty |
Breathitt County (/ˈbrɛˌθɪt/BREH-thit) is acounty located in theeastern portion of theU.S. state ofKentucky. As of the2020 census, the population was 13,718.[1] Itscounty seat isJackson.[2] The county was formed in 1839 and was named forJohn Breathitt, who wasGovernor of Kentucky from 1832 to 1834. Breathitt County was formerly adry county, until a public vote in July 2016 passed, allowing alcohol sales.[3]
The area now encompassed by Kentucky's Breathitt County was first bounded in 1772, when all of what is now the state of Kentucky was in the frontier county ofFincastle County, Virginia. Fincastle was divided in 1776, with the western portion namedKentucky County, Virginia. In 1780, Virginia set aside all land in Kentucky County for soldiers who had served in the Revolutionary War. In 1780, Kentucky County was divided into 3 counties,Jefferson,Fayette, andLincoln. Lincoln County was divided in 1799, with part becomingKnox County. In 1807, the Legislature partitioned the upper part of Knox to createClay County. On February 6, 1839, a portion of Clay (along with portions ofEstill andPerry Counties) was partitioned off to create Breathitt County. It was named for GovernorJohn Breathitt.[4]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 495 square miles (1,280 km2), of which 492 square miles (1,270 km2) is land and 2.9 square miles (7.5 km2) (0.6%) is water.[5]
The North and Middle Forks of theKentucky River pass through the county as the main water drainages.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 2,195 | — | |
| 1850 | 3,785 | 72.4% | |
| 1860 | 4,980 | 31.6% | |
| 1870 | 5,672 | 13.9% | |
| 1880 | 7,742 | 36.5% | |
| 1890 | 8,705 | 12.4% | |
| 1900 | 14,322 | 64.5% | |
| 1910 | 17,540 | 22.5% | |
| 1920 | 20,614 | 17.5% | |
| 1930 | 21,143 | 2.6% | |
| 1940 | 23,946 | 13.3% | |
| 1950 | 19,964 | −16.6% | |
| 1960 | 15,490 | −22.4% | |
| 1970 | 14,221 | −8.2% | |
| 1980 | 17,004 | 19.6% | |
| 1990 | 15,703 | −7.7% | |
| 2000 | 16,100 | 2.5% | |
| 2010 | 13,878 | −13.8% | |
| 2020 | 13,718 | −1.2% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 12,804 | [6] | −6.7% |
| US Decennial Census[7] 1790–1960[8] 1900–1990[9] 1990–2000[10] 2010–2020[1] | |||
| Race(NH = Non-Hispanic) | % 2020[11] | Pop. 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| White Alone (NH) | 95% | 13,038 |
| Black Alone (NH) | 0.4% | 57 |
| Native American Alone (NH) | 0.1% | 11 |
| Asian Alone (NH) | 0.3% | 37 |
| Pacific Islander Alone (NH) | 0.1% | 11 |
| Other Race Alone (NH) | 0% | 0 |
| Multiracial (NH) | 3.4% | 471 |
| Hispanic (Any race) | 0.7% | 93 |
As of thecensus of 2000, there were 16,100 people, 6,170 households, and 4,541 families in the county. The population density was 32 per square mile (12/km2). There were 6,812 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.69%White, 0.39%Black orAfrican American, 0.09%Native American, 0.29%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.08% fromother races, and 0.43% from two or more races. 0.66% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 6,170 households, out of which 34.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.00% were married couples living together, 14.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families. 23.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.00.
The county population contained 25.50% under the age of 18, 10.00% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 11.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $19,155, and the median income for a family was $23,721. Males had a median income of $26,208 versus $20,613 for females. The per capita income for the county was $11,044. About 28.10% of families and 33.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.90% of those under age 18 and 26.80% of those age 65 or over.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 4,036 | 78.86% | 1,002 | 19.58% | 80 | 1.56% |
| 2020 | 4,265 | 75.34% | 1,301 | 22.98% | 95 | 1.68% |
| 2016 | 3,991 | 69.55% | 1,537 | 26.79% | 210 | 3.66% |
| 2012 | 3,318 | 66.25% | 1,562 | 31.19% | 128 | 2.56% |
| 2008 | 2,671 | 53.10% | 2,205 | 43.84% | 154 | 3.06% |
| 2004 | 2,542 | 42.77% | 3,327 | 55.97% | 75 | 1.26% |
| 2000 | 2,084 | 41.08% | 2,902 | 57.20% | 87 | 1.71% |
| 1996 | 1,058 | 23.11% | 3,106 | 67.85% | 414 | 9.04% |
| 1992 | 1,303 | 24.42% | 3,496 | 65.52% | 537 | 10.06% |
| 1988 | 2,149 | 38.51% | 3,387 | 60.70% | 44 | 0.79% |
| 1984 | 2,855 | 45.25% | 3,435 | 54.45% | 19 | 0.30% |
| 1980 | 1,532 | 27.69% | 3,916 | 70.79% | 84 | 1.52% |
| 1976 | 1,014 | 22.16% | 3,544 | 77.45% | 18 | 0.39% |
| 1972 | 1,846 | 40.65% | 2,677 | 58.95% | 18 | 0.40% |
| 1968 | 1,361 | 29.09% | 2,954 | 63.15% | 363 | 7.76% |
| 1964 | 669 | 12.43% | 4,714 | 87.57% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,996 | 37.64% | 3,307 | 62.36% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 2,423 | 42.71% | 3,246 | 57.22% | 4 | 0.07% |
| 1952 | 1,381 | 28.99% | 3,383 | 71.01% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 957 | 22.38% | 3,295 | 77.06% | 24 | 0.56% |
| 1944 | 1,230 | 29.40% | 2,922 | 69.85% | 31 | 0.74% |
| 1940 | 1,602 | 28.66% | 3,977 | 71.14% | 11 | 0.20% |
| 1936 | 1,790 | 30.96% | 3,980 | 68.85% | 11 | 0.19% |
| 1932 | 1,371 | 23.23% | 4,524 | 76.65% | 7 | 0.12% |
| 1928 | 2,309 | 43.35% | 3,017 | 56.65% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 1,708 | 37.59% | 2,826 | 62.19% | 10 | 0.22% |
| 1920 | 2,464 | 47.09% | 2,737 | 52.31% | 31 | 0.59% |
| 1916 | 1,584 | 43.09% | 2,067 | 56.23% | 25 | 0.68% |
| 1912 | 910 | 30.34% | 1,682 | 56.09% | 407 | 13.57% |
| 1908 | 1,620 | 50.33% | 1,567 | 48.68% | 32 | 0.99% |
| 1904 | 829 | 34.66% | 1,537 | 64.26% | 26 | 1.09% |
| 1900 | 850 | 34.92% | 1,573 | 64.63% | 11 | 0.45% |
| 1896 | 776 | 38.92% | 1,204 | 60.38% | 14 | 0.70% |
| 1892 | 566 | 36.42% | 977 | 62.87% | 11 | 0.71% |
| 1888 | 505 | 43.61% | 636 | 54.92% | 17 | 1.47% |
| 1884 | 459 | 34.08% | 870 | 64.59% | 18 | 1.34% |
| 1880 | 330 | 29.10% | 797 | 70.28% | 7 | 0.62% |
During the 20th century, Breathitt County was a Democratic stronghold typical of ruralAppalachia, only voting Republican narrowlyonce. Starting in1912, Breathitt County continuously voted for the Democratic presidential nominee, a streak that would last until the2004 election. Since2008, the county has voted for the Republican nominee each election by increasingly wide margins. Despite this, 79% of registered voters remain Democrats.[13]
In gubernatorial elections, Breathitt County has only voted for the Republican nominee on three occasions:1907,1919, and2015.
| Elected officials as of January 3, 2025[14][15] | ||
| U.S. House | Hal Rogers (R) | KY 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Ky. Senate | Brandon Smith (R) | 30 |
| Ky. House | Chris Fugate (R) | 84 |
There are two school districts in the county:Jackson Independent School District andBreathitt County School District. The former includes a portion of Jackson and someunincorporated areas, while the latter has the remainder of the city and county.[18][19] The Jackson school district operatesJackson City School a single K-12 facility. The county school district operates several schools, including:
Private schools:
The Breathitt Area Technology Center serves both the Jackson Independent and the Breathitt County school districts. It is located on the campus ofBreathitt County High School. The school is operated by the state ofKentucky. While most of the funding comes from the state, much of the equipment is purchased with federalCarl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act funds, which are aimed at advancing technical education.
The school is focused ontechnical education, offering these technical programs:
The community ofQuicksand is the location for the University of Kentucky Robinson Station. This agriculture research facility is a pivotal asset in Breathitt County, furthering the scientific studies in the areas of agriculture and forestry.
Breathitt County health care providers were featured in a November 23, 2013, article inThe Washington Post: "In Rural Kentucky, Health-Care Takes Back Seat as the Long-Uninsured Line Up".[20] As of 2014 the county had the highest morbidity rate in the state of Kentucky.
In the community of Southfork, there is a local elk viewing area where elk and feral horses can be seen.[22][23]
Municipalities and communities ofBreathitt County, Kentucky,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| City |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| post offices (and the creeks they are on) |
| |
| towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This post office is strictly speaking in Perry County even though the Creek is mainly in Breathitt. | |
| 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 | |
