Bell County, Kentucky

3 cities & places have their primary county here.

Population: 23,878
Median household income: $32,403
Median home value: $83,000

Home to 23,878 residents, Bell County is one of Kentucky's counties. 3 cities and places have their primary county here. At $32,403, its median household income sits below Kentucky's $62,417.

From 2019 to 2023, Bell County's population declined 10.9% from 26,791 to 23,878, while its median household income rose 23.3% from $26,272 to $32,403.

13.9% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Owners occupy 61.1% of the area's occupied homes.

Demographics

ACS 2019–2023

Population: 23,878
Median age: 41.2 yrs
Median household income: $32,403
Median home value: $83,000
Median gross rent: $617
Housing units: 11,608
Homeownership rate: 61.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 13.9%
Unemployment rate: 10.5%

Trends

ACS 5-year · 2019–2023

Population

26,79123,878

Median household income

$26,272$32,403

Median home value

$59,800$83,000

Median gross rent

$522$617

Year	Population	Median household income	Median home value	Median gross rent
2019	26,791	$26,272	$59,800	$522
2020	26,426	$28,442	$62,800	$559
2021	24,674	$32,123	$67,800	$556
2022	24,248	$33,658	$76,700	$608
2023	23,878	$32,403	$83,000	$617

Each year is a US Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimate ending that year.

Age distribution

Under 56.0%

5 to 1715.8%

18 to 247.8%

25 to 3412.4%

35 to 4411.5%

45 to 5413.1%

55 to 6414.5%

65 to 7411.4%

75 and over7.5%

	Count	Share
Under 5	1,432	6.0%
5 to 17	3,775	15.8%
18 to 24	1,867	7.8%
25 to 34	2,966	12.4%
35 to 44	2,756	11.5%
45 to 54	3,125	13.1%
55 to 64	3,463	14.5%
65 to 74	2,715	11.4%
75 and over	1,779	7.5%

Race & ethnicity

	Count	Share
White (non-Hispanic)	22,255	93.2%
Black or African American	533	2.2%
American Indian & Alaska Native	21	0.1%
Asian	33	0.1%
Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander	0	0.0%
Some other race	78	0.3%
Two or more races	781	3.3%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	177	0.7%

Educational attainment (age 25+)

No high school diploma20.6%

High school graduate38.2%

Some college or associate's27.2%

Bachelor's degree8.9%

Graduate or professional degree5.1%

	Count	Share
No high school diploma	3,467	20.6%
High school graduate	6,426	38.2%
Some college or associate's	4,568	27.2%
Bachelor's degree	1,489	8.9%
Graduate or professional degree	854	5.1%

Commute to work

Mean travel time to work: 23 min

Drove alone73.2%

Carpooled18.2%

Public transit0.0%

Walked4.4%

Bicycle0.4%

Worked from home3.4%

Other means0.3%

How workers get to work

	Count	Share
Drove alone	5,014	73.2%
Carpooled	1,248	18.2%
Public transit	0	0.0%
Walked	304	4.4%
Bicycle	25	0.4%
Worked from home	234	3.4%
Other means	21	0.3%

Travel time

	Count	Share
Under 15 min	2,636	39.9%
15 to 29 min	2,042	30.9%
30 to 44 min	1,011	15.3%
45 to 59 min	400	6.0%
60+ min	523	7.9%

Households

Average household size: 2.44
Poverty rate: 27.1% (6,268 of 23,125)

	Count	Share
Family households	5,961	62.6%
Nonfamily households	3,565	37.4%

Housing

Median year structure built: 1979

Occupancy

	Count	Share
Occupied	9,526	82.1%
Vacant	2,082	17.9%

Tenure (of occupied units)

	Count	Share
Owner-occupied	5,817	61.1%
Renter-occupied	3,709	38.9%

1-unit, detached62.6%

1-unit, attached0.2%

2 to 4 units6.4%

5 to 19 units5.0%

20 or more units2.7%

Mobile home & other23.2%

Units in structure

	Count	Share
1-unit, detached	7,261	62.6%
1-unit, attached	24	0.2%
2 to 4 units	739	6.4%
5 to 19 units	586	5.0%
20 or more units	308	2.7%
Mobile home & other	2,690	23.2%

Geography

County GEOID: 21013
State: Kentucky
Land area: 359 sq mi
Water area: 2.12 sq mi
Center point: 36.7289, -83.6807

Cities & places

Compare with nearby counties

Other counties in Kentucky

119