Mercer County, Kentucky
3 cities & places have their primary county here.
- Population
- 22,824
- Median household income
- $63,115
- Median home value
- $189,700
+5.7%’19–’23
+14.6%’19–’23
+28.8%’19–’23
Mercer County is a county in Kentucky with a population of 22,824. 3 cities and places have their primary county here. The median household income of $63,115 is in line with the Kentucky median ($62,417).
From 2019 to 2023, Mercer County's population grew 5.7% from 21,592 to 22,824, while its median household income rose 14.6% from $55,093 to $63,115.
The median resident is 42.8 years old. The largest age group is 5 to 17, 16.0% of residents.
Demographics
ACS 2019–2023- Population
- 22,824
- Median age
- 42.8 yrs
- Median household income
- $63,115
- Median home value
- $189,700
- Median gross rent
- $802
- Housing units
- 10,410
- Homeownership rate
- 77.1%
- Bachelor's degree or higher
- 22.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 2.9%
Trends
ACS 5-year · 2019–202321,59222,824
$55,093$63,115
$147,300$189,700
$624$802
| Year | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Median gross rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 21,592 | $55,093 | $147,300 | $624 |
| 2020 | 21,690 | $52,312 | $148,900 | $622 |
| 2021 | 22,470 | $53,750 | $159,300 | $652 |
| 2022 | 22,662 | $60,728 | $181,400 | $720 |
| 2023 | 22,824 | $63,115 | $189,700 | $802 |
Each year is a US Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimate ending that year.
Age distribution
Under 56.2%
5 to 1716.0%
18 to 248.0%
25 to 3411.9%
35 to 4411.0%
45 to 5412.6%
55 to 6415.2%
65 to 7411.0%
75 and over8.2%
| Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 1,420 | 6.2% |
| 5 to 17 | 3,647 | 16.0% |
| 18 to 24 | 1,816 | 8.0% |
| 25 to 34 | 2,715 | 11.9% |
| 35 to 44 | 2,515 | 11.0% |
| 45 to 54 | 2,867 | 12.6% |
| 55 to 64 | 3,458 | 15.2% |
| 65 to 74 | 2,507 | 11.0% |
| 75 and over | 1,879 | 8.2% |
Race & ethnicity
| Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 20,606 | 90.3% |
| Black or African American | 813 | 3.6% |
| American Indian & Alaska Native | 18 | 0.1% |
| Asian | 60 | 0.3% |
| Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0 | 0.0% |
| Some other race | 23 | 0.1% |
| Two or more races | 574 | 2.5% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 730 | 3.2% |
Educational attainment (age 25+)
No high school diploma8.9%
High school graduate34.6%
Some college or associate's34.0%
Bachelor's degree13.6%
Graduate or professional degree8.9%
| Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| No high school diploma | 1,421 | 8.9% |
| High school graduate | 5,520 | 34.6% |
| Some college or associate's | 5,421 | 34.0% |
| Bachelor's degree | 2,162 | 13.6% |
| Graduate or professional degree | 1,417 | 8.9% |
Commute to work
- Mean travel time to work
- 28 min
Drove alone79.2%
Carpooled11.2%
Public transit0.0%
Walked0.0%
Bicycle0.0%
Worked from home8.8%
Other means0.8%
How workers get to work
| Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Drove alone | 8,050 | 79.2% |
| Carpooled | 1,134 | 11.2% |
| Public transit | 0 | 0.0% |
| Walked | 2 | 0.0% |
| Bicycle | 0 | 0.0% |
| Worked from home | 894 | 8.8% |
| Other means | 79 | 0.8% |
Travel time
| Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Under 15 min | 2,778 | 30.0% |
| 15 to 29 min | 2,781 | 30.0% |
| 30 to 44 min | 1,447 | 15.6% |
| 45 to 59 min | 1,374 | 14.8% |
| 60+ min | 885 | 9.6% |
Households
- Average household size
- 2.48
- Poverty rate
- 11.4% (2,557 of 22,528)
| Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Family households | 5,721 | 62.6% |
| Nonfamily households | 3,416 | 37.4% |
Housing
- Median year structure built
- 1978
Occupancy
| Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Occupied | 9,137 | 87.8% |
| Vacant | 1,273 | 12.2% |
Tenure (of occupied units)
| Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Owner-occupied | 7,048 | 77.1% |
| Renter-occupied | 2,089 | 22.9% |
1-unit, detached80.0%
1-unit, attached1.6%
2 to 4 units5.5%
5 to 19 units4.9%
20 or more units0.8%
Mobile home & other7.2%
Units in structure
| Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-unit, detached | 8,327 | 80.0% |
| 1-unit, attached | 167 | 1.6% |
| 2 to 4 units | 571 | 5.5% |
| 5 to 19 units | 513 | 4.9% |
| 20 or more units | 83 | 0.8% |
| Mobile home & other | 749 | 7.2% |
Geography
- County GEOID
- 21167
- State
- Kentucky
- Land area
- 249 sq mi
- Water area
- 3.93 sq mi
- Center point
- 37.8121, -84.8797
Cities & places
3Compare with nearby counties
5Kentucky rankings
21- Largest by population in Kentucky
- Most densely populated in Kentucky
- Highest median household income in Kentucky
- Highest median home value in Kentucky
- Most affordable home values in Kentucky
- Highest median gross rent in Kentucky
- Cheapest median gross rent in Kentucky
- Oldest by median age in Kentucky
- Youngest by median age in Kentucky
- Most college-educated in Kentucky
- Highest poverty rate in Kentucky
- Lowest poverty rate in Kentucky
- Highest homeownership rate in Kentucky
- Lowest homeownership rate in Kentucky
- Longest commutes in Kentucky
- Shortest commutes in Kentucky
- Largest households in Kentucky
- Newest housing in Kentucky
- Oldest housing in Kentucky
- Fastest-growing (2019–2023) in Kentucky
- Fastest-shrinking (2019–2023) in Kentucky
Other counties in Kentucky
119- Adair County
- Allen County
- Anderson County
- Ballard County
- Barren County
- Bath County
- Bell County
- Boone County
- Bourbon County
- Boyd County
- Boyle County
- Bracken County
- Breathitt County
- Breckinridge County
- Bullitt County
- Butler County
- Caldwell County
- Calloway County
- Campbell County
- Carlisle County
- Carroll County
- Carter County
- Casey County
- Christian County
- Clark County
- Clay County
- Clinton County
- Crittenden County
- Cumberland County
- Daviess County
- Edmonson County
- Elliott County
- Estill County
- Fayette County
- Fleming County
- Floyd County
- Franklin County
- Fulton County
- Gallatin County
- Garrard County
- Grant County
- Graves County
- Grayson County
- Green County
- Greenup County
- Hancock County
- Hardin County
- Harlan County
- Harrison County
- Hart County
- Henderson County
- Henry County
- Hickman County
- Hopkins County
- Jackson County
- Jefferson County
- Jessamine County
- Johnson County
- Kenton County
- Knott County
- Knox County
- Larue County
- Laurel County
- Lawrence County
- Lee County
- Leslie County
- Letcher County
- Lewis County
- Lincoln County
- Livingston County
- Logan County
- Lyon County
- Madison County
- Magoffin County
- Marion County
- Marshall County
- Martin County
- Mason County
- McCracken County
- McCreary County
- McLean County
- Meade County
- Menifee County
- Metcalfe County
- Monroe County
- Montgomery County
- Morgan County
- Muhlenberg County
- Nelson County
- Nicholas County
- Ohio County
- Oldham County
- Owen County
- Owsley County
- Pendleton County
- Perry County
- Pike County
- Powell County
- Pulaski County
- Robertson County
- Rockcastle County
- Rowan County
- Russell County
- Scott County
- Shelby County
- Simpson County
- Spencer County
- Taylor County
- Todd County
- Trigg County
- Trimble County
- Union County
- Warren County
- Washington County
- Wayne County
- Webster County
- Whitley County
- Wolfe County
- Woodford County