Demographics of Wayne County, Kentucky

Wayne County, Kentucky had 19,597 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +49 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.

Wayne County, in four figures

19,597
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +0.3%
Change since July 2020: +49 people.; 43.8 ±0.7
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $45,739 ±$4,327
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.

Wayne County, Kentucky's population grew 0.3% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Wayne 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

Wayne County, Kentucky's population grew 0.3% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Wayne 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	19,548	100.0	100.0
2021	19,547	100.0	100.2
2022	19,669	100.6	100.7
2023	19,629	100.4	101.6
2024	19,563	100.1	102.5
2025	19,597	100.3	103.1

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Population of Wayne 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	19,548	−14	−14	0	−6
2021	19,547	−1	−121	+1	+110
2022	19,669	+122	−106	+16	+212
2023	19,629	−40	−83	+32	+15
2024	19,563	−66	−107	+15	+30
2025	19,597	+34	−110	0	+144

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 43.8 ±0.7: for men 41.0 ±2.3 and for women 44.7 ±0.4. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Wayne County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Under 5	1,045 ±73	5.3% ±0.4	5.9% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	2,962 ±296	15.1% ±1.5	16.7% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	1,398 ±167	7.1% ±0.9	9.1% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	4,809 ±330	24.5% ±1.7	25.7% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	5,090 ±271	26.0% ±1.4	25.3% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	4,298 ±363	21.9% ±1.9	17.3% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $45,739 ±$4,327, and income per person $25,596 ±$2,062, 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 Wayne County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Kentucky	United States
Under $25,000	2,480 ±345	30.7% ±4.2	19.6% ±0.3	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	1,905 ±367	23.6% ±4.5	20.4% ±0.3	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	1,323 ±246	16.4% ±3.0	17.1% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	1,152 ±238	14.3% ±2.9	12.8% ±0.2	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	822 ±191	10.2% ±2.3	15.9% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	245 ±85	3.0% ±1.0	7.1% ±0.2	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	147 ±67	1.8% ±0.8	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 Wayne County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Kentucky	United States
All ages	4,783 ±804	24.8% ±4.2	16.1% ±0.3	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	1,217 ±282	30.8% ±6.2	20.3% ±0.4	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	2,471 ±476	25.1% ±4.5	15.4% ±0.3	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	1,095 ±224	19.9% ±3.8	13.4% ±0.3	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Wayne County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Wayne County	Kentucky	United States
Housing units	10,134 ±40	2,023,116 ±474	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	79.7% ±2.6	89.7% ±0.3	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	20.3% ±2.6	10.3% ±0.3	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	69.1% ±3.1	68.3% ±0.4	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	30.9% ±4.4	31.7% ±0.3	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$135,700 ±$14,202	$205,600 ±$1,096	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$727 ±$65	$967 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1986 ±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 Wayne County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Hispanic or Latino	882 ±0	4.5% ±<0.1	5.0% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	17,919 ±135	91.4% ±0.7	81.5% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	112 to 366	0.6% to 1.9%	7.6% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0 to 16	0% to 0.1%	1.6% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	63 ±22	0.3% ±0.1	0.1% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 20	0% to 0.1%	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	493 ±193	2.5% ±1.0	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 Wayne County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Born in the state	15,062 ±554	76.8% ±2.8	67.3% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	3,882 ±571	19.8% ±2.9	27.1% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	129 to 503	0.7% to 2.6%	0.9% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	164 to 520	0.8% to 2.7%	4.7% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	88 to 374	0.4% to 1.9%	1.9% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	16 to 206	0.1% to 1.1%	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%.

Wayne County among the counties of Kentucky

62nd of 120 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Kentucky page.

Counties of Kentucky near Wayne County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Bourbon County	20,243	−0.3%
Hart County	20,117	+4.3%
Marion County	20,115	+2.7%
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%

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