Demographics of Russell County, Kentucky

Russell County, Kentucky had 18,608 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +611 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.

Russell County, in four figures

18,608
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +3.4%
Change since July 2020: +611 people.; 42.0 ±0.8
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $44,738 ±$7,625
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.

Russell County, Kentucky's population grew 3.4% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Russell 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

Russell County, Kentucky's population grew 3.4% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Russell 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	17,997	100.0	100.0
2021	18,159	100.9	100.2
2022	18,167	100.9	100.7
2023	18,345	101.9	101.6
2024	18,549	103.1	102.5
2025	18,608	103.4	103.1

3 more columns on a wider screen

Population of Russell 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	17,997	+6	−25	0	+28
2021	18,159	+162	−141	+7	+303
2022	18,167	+8	−96	+26	+84
2023	18,345	+178	−42	+87	+136
2024	18,549	+204	−60	+118	+143
2025	18,608	+59	−62	+54	+67

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 42.0 ±0.8: for men 41.3 ±1.1 and for women 43.0 ±1.6. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

2 more columns on a wider screen

People in Russell County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Under 5	1,022 ±54	5.6% ±0.3	5.9% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	3,190 ±357	17.5% ±2.0	16.7% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	1,442 ±261	7.9% ±1.4	9.1% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	3,997 ±283	21.9% ±1.6	25.7% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	4,822 ±293	26.5% ±1.6	25.3% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	3,748 ±347	20.6% ±1.9	17.3% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $44,738 ±$7,625, and income per person $29,055 ±$3,123, in 2024 dollars. The median is $63,726 ±$429 in Kentucky and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

2 more columns on a wider screen

Households in Russell County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Kentucky	United States
Under $25,000	2,190 ±352	29.0% ±4.5	19.6% ±0.3	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	1,790 ±331	23.7% ±4.3	20.4% ±0.3	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	1,285 ±238	17.0% ±3.1	17.1% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	754 ±203	10.0% ±2.7	12.8% ±0.2	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	728 ±179	9.6% ±2.3	15.9% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	413 ±168	5.5% ±2.2	7.1% ±0.2	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	402 ±163	5.3% ±2.1	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).

2 more columns on a wider screen

Poverty rate in Russell County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Kentucky	United States
All ages	4,122 ±775	23.1% ±4.3	16.1% ±0.3	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	974 ±236	24.2% ±5.3	20.3% ±0.4	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	2,114 ±513	23.6% ±5.4	15.4% ±0.3	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	1,034 ±228	21.4% ±4.4	13.4% ±0.3	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

1 more column on a wider screen

Housing in Russell County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Russell County	Kentucky	United States
Housing units	10,169 ±30	2,023,116 ±474	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	74.4% ±2.8	89.7% ±0.3	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	25.6% ±2.7	10.3% ±0.3	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	70.8% ±4.3	68.3% ±0.4	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	29.2% ±4.6	31.7% ±0.3	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$163,200 ±$15,291	$205,600 ±$1,096	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$681 ±$45	$967 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1991 ±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

2 more columns on a wider screen

People in Russell County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Hispanic or Latino	842 ±0	4.6% ±<0.1	5.0% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	16,679 ±140	91.5% ±0.8	81.5% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	203 ±82	1.1% ±0.5	7.6% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0 to 113	0% to 0.6%	1.6% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0 to 10	0% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 36	0% to 0.2%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 20	0% to 0.1%	0.3% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	431 ±151	2.4% ±0.8	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).

2 more columns on a wider screen

People in Russell County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Born in the state	13,691 ±555	75.1% ±3.0	67.3% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	4,164 ±541	22.9% ±3.0	27.1% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	0 to 23	0% to 0.1%	0.9% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	357 ±166	2.0% ±0.9	4.7% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	7 to 121	< 0.1% to 0.7%	1.9% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	122 to 464	0.7% to 2.5%	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%.

Russell County among the counties of Kentucky

65th of 120 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Kentucky page.

Counties of Kentucky near Russell County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Letcher County	19,952	−7.0%
Harrison County	19,627	+4.9%
Wayne County	19,597	+0.3%
Clay County	19,465	−4.2%
Adair County	19,423	+2.8%
Russell County	18,608	+3.4%
Garrard County	18,207	+7.3%
McCreary County	17,124	+1.7%
Mason County	16,936	−1.2%
Henry County	16,447	+4.8%
Casey County	16,205	+1.8%

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