Demographics of Barren County, Kentucky

Barren County, Kentucky had 45,641 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +1,133 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Barren County, in four figures

45,641
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +2.5%
Change since July 2020: +1,133 people.; 39.8 ±0.6
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $50,628 ±$2,937
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Barren County, Kentucky's population grew 2.5% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Barren County, Kentucky's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change

About this chart

The figures

Barren County, Kentucky's population grew 2.5% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Barren County, Kentucky's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	44,508	100.0	100.0
2021	44,604	100.2	100.2
2022	44,854	100.8	100.7
2023	45,067	101.3	101.6
2024	45,412	102.0	102.5
2025	45,641	102.5	103.1

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Population of Barren County, Kentucky on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	44,508	+25	−19	0	+33
2021	44,604	+96	−147	+8	+197
2022	44,854	+250	−134	+31	+364
2023	45,067	+213	−40	+112	+147
2024	45,412	+345	−113	+180	+282
2025	45,641	+229	−90	+120	+196

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 39.8 ±0.6: for men 39.2 ±0.7 and for women 40.6 ±0.8. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Barren County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Under 5	2,794 ±131	6.2% ±0.3	5.9% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	7,936 ±450	17.7% ±1.0	16.7% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	3,138 ±234	7.0% ±0.5	9.1% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	11,364 ±513	25.3% ±1.1	25.7% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	11,554 ±495	25.7% ±1.1	25.3% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	8,152 ±502	18.1% ±1.1	17.3% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $50,628 ±$2,937, and income per person $29,914 ±$1,766, in 2024 dollars. The median is $63,726 ±$429 in Kentucky and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Barren County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Kentucky	United States
Under $25,000	4,126 ±486	22.9% ±2.7	19.6% ±0.3	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	4,779 ±564	26.5% ±3.1	20.4% ±0.3	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	2,739 ±360	15.2% ±2.0	17.1% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	2,528 ±389	14.0% ±2.1	12.8% ±0.2	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	2,231 ±317	12.4% ±1.7	15.9% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	827 ±174	4.6% ±1.0	7.1% ±0.2	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	787 ±188	4.4% ±1.0	7.2% ±0.1	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Barren County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Kentucky	United States
All ages	8,558 ±1,107	19.4% ±2.5	16.1% ±0.3	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	2,819 ±498	26.8% ±4.3	20.3% ±0.4	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	4,436 ±645	19.5% ±2.7	15.4% ±0.3	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	1,303 ±256	12.1% ±2.3	13.4% ±0.3	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Barren County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Barren County	Kentucky	United States
Housing units	20,283 ±39	2,023,116 ±474	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	88.8% ±1.7	89.7% ±0.3	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	11.2% ±1.7	10.3% ±0.3	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	65.2% ±2.7	68.3% ±0.4	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	34.8% ±2.4	31.7% ±0.3	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$178,000 ±$7,848	$205,600 ±$1,096	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$796 ±$36	$967 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1985 ±2	1982 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Barren County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Hispanic or Latino	1,991 ±0	4.4% ±<0.1	5.0% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	39,283 ±343	87.4% ±0.8	81.5% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	1,697 ±241	3.8% ±0.5	7.6% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	416 ±36	0.9% ±0.1	1.6% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0 to 37	0% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 27	0% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	46 to 436	0.1% to 1.0%	0.3% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	1,292 ±390	2.9% ±0.9	3.9% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Barren County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Born in the state	33,385 ±673	74.3% ±1.5	67.3% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	9,995 ±687	22.2% ±1.5	27.1% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	156 to 484	0.3% to 1.1%	0.9% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	1,238 ±260	2.8% ±0.6	4.7% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	475 ±192	1.1% ±0.4	1.9% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	763 ±184	1.7% ±0.4	2.8% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Barren County among the counties of Kentucky

23rd of 120 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Kentucky page.

Counties of Kentucky near Barren County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Pike County	54,721	−6.4%
Franklin County	52,649	+2.0%
Shelby County	51,243	+6.2%
Nelson County	49,036	+4.8%
Boyd County	47,751	−1.0%
Barren County	45,641	+2.5%
Hopkins County	45,127	−0.5%
Henderson County	44,255	−0.9%
Calloway County	39,421	+4.9%
Clark County	37,888	+2.3%
Whitley County	37,297	+1.6%

Elsewhere on the site

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Data retrieved September 25, 2026