Demographics of Whitley County, Kentucky

Whitley County, Kentucky had 37,297 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +601 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.

Whitley County, in four figures

37,297
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +1.6%
Change since July 2020: +601 people.; 35.2 ±0.3
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $44,615 ±$4,358
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.

Whitley County, Kentucky's population grew 1.6% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Whitley 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

Whitley County, Kentucky's population grew 1.6% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Whitley 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	36,696	100.0	100.0
2021	36,820	100.3	100.2
2022	36,953	100.7	100.7
2023	36,903	100.6	101.6
2024	37,205	101.4	102.5
2025	37,297	101.6	103.1

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Population of Whitley 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	36,696	−18	−6	0	−20
2021	36,820	+124	−19	+7	+108
2022	36,953	+133	−148	+18	+263
2023	36,903	−50	−24	+42	−60
2024	37,205	+302	−3	+63	+241
2025	37,297	+92	+16	+25	+47

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 35.2 ±0.3: for men 33.3 ±0.9 and for women 36.7 ±0.6. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Whitley County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Under 5	2,619 ±59	7.1% ±0.2	5.9% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	7,038 ±409	19.1% ±1.1	16.7% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	4,132 ±394	11.2% ±1.1	9.1% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	8,820 ±402	23.9% ±1.1	25.7% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	8,527 ±386	23.1% ±1.0	25.3% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	5,784 ±412	15.7% ±1.1	17.3% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $44,615 ±$4,358, and income per person $23,353 ±$1,875, 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 Whitley County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Kentucky	United States
Under $25,000	3,963 ±486	29.3% ±3.5	19.6% ±0.3	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	3,505 ±472	25.9% ±3.4	20.4% ±0.3	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	2,066 ±310	15.3% ±2.3	17.1% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	1,393 ±316	10.3% ±2.3	12.8% ±0.2	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	1,640 ±323	12.1% ±2.4	15.9% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	673 ±250	5.0% ±1.8	7.1% ±0.2	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	301 ±143	2.2% ±1.1	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).

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Poverty rate in Whitley County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Kentucky	United States
All ages	9,249 ±1,124	26.3% ±3.2	16.1% ±0.3	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	2,951 ±487	31.0% ±4.5	20.3% ±0.4	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	4,590 ±626	25.2% ±3.2	15.4% ±0.3	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	1,708 ±381	23.1% ±4.8	13.4% ±0.3	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Whitley County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Whitley County	Kentucky	United States
Housing units	15,629 ±35	2,023,116 ±474	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	86.6% ±2.3	89.7% ±0.3	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	13.4% ±2.3	10.3% ±0.3	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	66.8% ±2.5	68.3% ±0.4	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	33.2% ±3.5	31.7% ±0.3	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$131,800 ±$11,572	$205,600 ±$1,096	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$798 ±$45	$967 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1987 ±3	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 Whitley County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Hispanic or Latino	776 ±0	2.1% ±<0.1	5.0% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	34,846 ±167	94.4% ±0.5	81.5% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	389 ±112	1.1% ±0.3	7.6% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	17 to 175	< 0.1% to 0.5%	1.6% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	2 to 32	< 0.1% 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	0 to 135	0% to 0.4%	0.3% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	744 ±216	2.0% ±0.6	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 Whitley County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Born in the state	25,222 ±749	68.3% ±2.0	67.3% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	11,147 ±771	30.2% ±2.1	27.1% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	111 to 425	0.3% to 1.2%	0.9% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	283 ±112	0.8% ±0.3	4.7% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	24 to 176	0.1% to 0.5%	1.9% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	183 ±80	0.5% ±0.2	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%.

Whitley County among the counties of Kentucky

28th of 120 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Kentucky page.

Counties of Kentucky near Whitley County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
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%
Graves County	37,050	+1.4%
Greenup County	35,213	−1.9%
Floyd County	34,401	−3.9%
Marshall County	31,659	−0.1%
Boyle County	31,632	+2.9%

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