Carter County | |
|---|---|
 Carter County courthouse in Grayson | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKentucky | |
 Kentucky's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:38°20′N83°03′W / 38.33°N 83.05°W /38.33; -83.05 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kentucky |
| Founded | 1838 |
| Named after | William Grayson Carter |
| Seat | Grayson |
| Largest city | Grayson |
| Area | |
• Total | 412 sq mi (1,070 km2) |
| • Land | 409 sq mi (1,060 km2) |
| • Water | 2.6 sq mi (7 km2) 0.6% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 26,627 |
• Estimate (2024) | 26,098 |
| • Density | 65/sq mi (25/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional districts | 4th,5th |
| Website | cartercounty |
Carter County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofKentucky. As of the2020 census, the population was 26,627.[1] Itscounty seat isGrayson.[2] Carter County is in theHuntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is home toCarter Caves State Resort Park.
Carter County was formed on February 9, 1838, from portions of Greenup County and Lawrence County.[3] It was named afterColonelWilliam Grayson Carter, a Kentucky state Senator.[4] The county seat is named for his uncle, Robert Grayson.[5]
The original courthouse was rebuilt in 1907.[6]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 412 square miles (1,070 km2), of which 409 square miles (1,060 km2) is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2) (0.6%) is water.[7]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 2,905 | — | |
| 1850 | 6,241 | 114.8% | |
| 1860 | 8,516 | 36.5% | |
| 1870 | 7,509 | −11.8% | |
| 1880 | 12,345 | 64.4% | |
| 1890 | 17,204 | 39.4% | |
| 1900 | 20,228 | 17.6% | |
| 1910 | 21,966 | 8.6% | |
| 1920 | 22,474 | 2.3% | |
| 1930 | 23,839 | 6.1% | |
| 1940 | 25,545 | 7.2% | |
| 1950 | 22,559 | −11.7% | |
| 1960 | 20,817 | −7.7% | |
| 1970 | 19,850 | −4.6% | |
| 1980 | 25,060 | 26.2% | |
| 1990 | 24,340 | −2.9% | |
| 2000 | 26,889 | 10.5% | |
| 2010 | 27,720 | 3.1% | |
| 2020 | 26,627 | −3.9% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 26,098 | [8] | −2.0% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010-2021[1] | |||
As of thecensus of 2000, there were 26,889 people, 10,342 households, and 7,746 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 66 per square mile (25/km2). There were 11,534 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile (11/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 99.02%White, 0.13%Black orAfrican American, 0.25%Native American, 0.11%Asian, 0.08% fromother races, and 0.41% from two or more races. 0.59% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 10,342 households, out of which 33.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.50% weremarried couples living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.10% were non-families. 22.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.80% 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 2.95.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.50% under the age of 18, 10.80% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 12.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,427, and the median income for a family was $31,278. Males had a median income of $28,690 versus $20,554 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $13,442. About 19.20% of families and 22.30% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 28.90% of those under age 18 and 21.30% of those age 65 or over.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 8,981 | 78.63% | 2,305 | 20.18% | 136 | 1.19% |
| 2020 | 8,775 | 75.74% | 2,642 | 22.80% | 169 | 1.46% |
| 2016 | 7,587 | 73.82% | 2,276 | 22.14% | 415 | 4.04% |
| 2012 | 5,279 | 59.26% | 3,383 | 37.98% | 246 | 2.76% |
| 2008 | 5,252 | 53.52% | 4,316 | 43.98% | 245 | 2.50% |
| 2004 | 5,422 | 48.77% | 5,577 | 50.17% | 118 | 1.06% |
| 2000 | 4,617 | 51.53% | 4,182 | 46.68% | 160 | 1.79% |
| 1996 | 3,240 | 41.69% | 3,728 | 47.97% | 803 | 10.33% |
| 1992 | 3,305 | 38.61% | 4,224 | 49.35% | 1,031 | 12.04% |
| 1988 | 4,325 | 48.36% | 4,570 | 51.10% | 49 | 0.55% |
| 1984 | 4,656 | 53.67% | 3,985 | 45.94% | 34 | 0.39% |
| 1980 | 3,934 | 50.18% | 3,782 | 48.25% | 123 | 1.57% |
| 1976 | 3,185 | 44.65% | 3,915 | 54.89% | 33 | 0.46% |
| 1972 | 4,082 | 60.68% | 2,591 | 38.52% | 54 | 0.80% |
| 1968 | 3,234 | 49.67% | 2,344 | 36.00% | 933 | 14.33% |
| 1964 | 2,821 | 40.37% | 4,136 | 59.20% | 30 | 0.43% |
| 1960 | 4,956 | 58.76% | 3,479 | 41.24% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 5,127 | 62.09% | 3,112 | 37.68% | 19 | 0.23% |
| 1952 | 4,221 | 58.12% | 3,019 | 41.57% | 22 | 0.30% |
| 1948 | 3,472 | 52.61% | 3,082 | 46.70% | 46 | 0.70% |
| 1944 | 4,117 | 60.01% | 2,733 | 39.84% | 10 | 0.15% |
| 1940 | 4,520 | 56.88% | 3,403 | 42.83% | 23 | 0.29% |
| 1936 | 4,372 | 55.98% | 3,403 | 43.57% | 35 | 0.45% |
| 1932 | 4,376 | 48.51% | 4,565 | 50.61% | 79 | 0.88% |
| 1928 | 5,342 | 68.73% | 2,392 | 30.77% | 39 | 0.50% |
| 1924 | 4,472 | 61.50% | 2,552 | 35.10% | 247 | 3.40% |
| 1920 | 4,595 | 61.98% | 2,757 | 37.19% | 62 | 0.84% |
| 1916 | 2,818 | 58.48% | 1,954 | 40.55% | 47 | 0.98% |
| 1912 | 1,174 | 28.64% | 1,506 | 36.74% | 1,419 | 34.62% |
Carter County leaned increasingly Republican during the 2010s, withDonald Trump dramatically shifting it to the right in2016. In 8 out of 28 presidential elections since 1912 has the Democratic candidate carried this county, even though they carried it three times in a row from 1988 to 1996.Mitch McConnell andRand Paul are the senators currently representing the state of Kentucky. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.[14]
| Elected officials as of January 3, 2025[15][16] | ||
| U.S. House | Thomas Massie (R) | KY 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Hal Rogers (R) | KY 5 | |
| Ky. Senate | Robin L. Webb (D) | 18 |
| Ky. House | Patrick Flannery (R) | 96 |
Carter County is a moist county, meaning that sale of alcohol in the county is prohibited except in certain areas as voted on by the residents of the area, with at least one area approving full retail alcohol sales. In the case of Carter County, alcohol sales are only permitted as follows:
Carter County is accessible by U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 64.[22] Until 2010, the city of Olive Hill owned an airport.[23]
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Media related toCarter County, Kentucky at Wikimedia Commons
Municipalities and communities ofCarter County, Kentucky,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| Principal cities |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Municipalities with population over 5,000 | ||
| Municipalities with population 1,000–5,000 | ||
| Municipalities with population under 1,000 | ||
| West Virginia counties | ||
| Kentucky counties | ||
| Ohio counties | ||
| 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 | |
38°20′N83°03′W / 38.33°N 83.05°W /38.33; -83.05
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
