Demographics of Mercer County, Kentucky

Mercer County, Kentucky had 23,733 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +1,079 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.

Mercer County, in four figures

23,733
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +4.8%
Change since July 2020: +1,079 people.; 42.9 ±0.9
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $64,824 ±$5,652
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.

Mercer County, Kentucky's population grew 4.8% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Mercer 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

Mercer County, Kentucky's population grew 4.8% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Mercer 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	22,654	100.0	100.0
2021	22,869	100.9	100.2
2022	22,935	101.2	100.7
2023	23,172	102.3	101.6
2024	23,499	103.7	102.5
2025	23,733	104.8	103.1

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Population of Mercer 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	22,654	+14	−1	0	+8
2021	22,869	+215	−112	−2	+325
2022	22,935	+66	−78	+2	+143
2023	23,172	+237	−62	+28	+265
2024	23,499	+327	−68	+36	+357
2025	23,733	+234	−73	+4	+306

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 42.9 ±0.9: for men 41.6 ±2.0 and for women 44.3 ±0.7. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Mercer County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Under 5	1,465 ±121	6.4% ±0.5	5.9% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	3,552 ±305	15.4% ±1.3	16.7% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	1,946 ±342	8.5% ±1.5	9.1% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	5,232 ±347	22.7% ±1.5	25.7% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	6,470 ±440	28.1% ±1.9	25.3% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	4,363 ±340	18.9% ±1.5	17.3% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $64,824 ±$5,652, and income per person $33,683 ±$2,024, 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 Mercer County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Kentucky	United States
Under $25,000	1,425 ±266	15.5% ±2.9	19.6% ±0.3	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	2,160 ±393	23.5% ±4.2	20.4% ±0.3	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	1,635 ±320	17.8% ±3.4	17.1% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	1,447 ±278	15.8% ±3.0	12.8% ±0.2	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	1,432 ±292	15.6% ±3.2	15.9% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	661 ±182	7.2% ±2.0	7.1% ±0.2	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	421 ±153	4.6% ±1.7	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 Mercer County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Kentucky	United States
All ages	2,424 ±707	10.7% ±3.1	16.1% ±0.3	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	570 ±221	11.6% ±4.4	20.3% ±0.4	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	1,025 ±356	8.6% ±2.9	15.4% ±0.3	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	829 ±259	14.2% ±4.3	13.4% ±0.3	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Mercer County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Mercer County	Kentucky	United States
Housing units	10,472 ±32	2,023,116 ±474	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	87.7% ±2.4	89.7% ±0.3	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	12.3% ±2.5	10.3% ±0.3	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	75.9% ±2.7	68.3% ±0.4	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	24.1% ±3.6	31.7% ±0.3	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$202,300 ±$16,526	$205,600 ±$1,096	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$831 ±$77	$967 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1978 ±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 Mercer County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Hispanic or Latino	779 ±0	3.4% ±<0.1	5.0% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	20,716 ±51	90.0% ±0.2	81.5% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	722 ±199	3.1% ±0.9	7.6% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0 to 90	0% to 0.4%	1.6% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0 to 38	0% to 0.2%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 24	0% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	2 to 76	< 0.1% to 0.3%	0.3% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	716 ±216	3.1% ±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 Mercer County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Born in the state	17,546 ±851	76.2% ±3.7	67.3% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	4,786 ±762	20.8% ±3.3	27.1% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	0 to 77	0% to 0.3%	0.9% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	660 ±304	2.9% ±1.3	4.7% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	26 to 248	0.1% to 1.1%	1.9% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	225 to 821	1.0% to 3.6%	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%.

Mercer County among the counties of Kentucky

50th of 120 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Kentucky page.

Counties of Kentucky near Mercer County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Lincoln County	25,353	+4.6%
Anderson County	25,225	+5.5%
Harlan County	24,725	−7.6%
Rowan County	24,476	−1.0%
Ohio County	23,934	+0.8%
Mercer County	23,733	+4.8%
Bell County	22,829	−4.8%
Allen County	22,536	+9.5%
Johnson County	22,051	−2.6%
Breckinridge County	21,503	+5.2%
Spencer County	20,998	+7.7%

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