Boone County, Kentucky Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Boone County, KY Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageAmong the top 3 healthiest counties in Kentucky
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B
Income Around averageAmong the top 3 wealthiest counties in Kentucky
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Boone County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 139,822 | 4,533,530 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 545.0 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.25% | 0.33% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.7 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 50,601 | 1,813,524 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Boone County grew by 24.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 139,822 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Boone County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 22.2% of residents. That is 1.3 points above Kentucky as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 29,048 20.8% -0.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 30,980 22.2% +1.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 30,082 21.5% +1.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 20,027 14.3% -3.5 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Kentucky, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.9% of the people living in Boone County and men 50.1%.
- Women 49.9% Kentucky 50.5%
- Men 50.1% Kentucky 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Boone County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Boone County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Boone County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $99,828 | $64,312 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.62% | 4.62% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.1% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Boone County is about 55% higher than in Kentucky.
Housing
| Metric | Boone County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $161,197 | $118,017 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,372 | $967 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 76.3% | 68.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Boone County is about 9.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,372 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Boone County spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 182 hours, about 7.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Boone County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.8 | 20.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 43.6 | 41.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 182 | 173 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,627 | $5,369 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.4% | 10.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 13,391 | 6,995 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,491 | 832 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Kentucky:
Calloway County (13.9 min), Owsley County (15.0 min), Taylor County (15.3 min).
Slowest:
Owen County (37.7 min), Spencer County (33.3 min), Bracken County (33.2 min).
The average commute time in Boone County is 22 minutes, longer than the 21 minutes in Kentucky.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Boone County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Boone County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 32.2% | 24.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.72 | 2.43 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Kentucky:
Fayette County (0.4), Oldham County (0.4), Campbell County (0.3).
Lowest:
Leslie County (0.1), Lee County (0.1), Elliott County (0.1).
Health
Boone County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Boone County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.4 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.4% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.3% | 26.0% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Kentucky:
Oldham County (0.8), Boone County (0.8), Scott County (0.8).
Lowest:
Clay County (0.7), Bell County (0.7), McCreary County (0.7).
Boone County, KY Compared With Nearby Counties
Boone County, KY is the 3rd largest of the 4 counties compared here, 139,822 residents against a local median of 171,173. Boone County, KY's median household income, at $99,828, runs 22% above the $81,725 typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $161,197 against a local median of $132,433, 22% above it. The counties themselves sit within $11,251 of each other on median household income, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Boone County, KY, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Boone County, KY has the highest median household income of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boone County, KY | 139,822 | $99,828 #1/4 | $161,197 #2/4 | 21.8 min #3/4 |
| Kenton County, KY | 171,173 | $81,725 | $127,436 | 20.6 min |
| Hamilton County, OH | 829,354 | $72,506 | $132,433 | 21.7 min |
| Dearborn County, IN | 51,094 | $83,757 | $213,461 | 30.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Boone County, Kentucky.
What is the population of Boone County, Kentucky?
About 139,822 people live in Boone County, Kentucky, in 50,601 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 35.7, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Boone County, Kentucky urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Boone County, Kentucky has 545 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 6.3 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Boone County, Kentucky?
The median home costs 1.6 times the median household income ($161,197 against $99,828), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,372 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Boone County, Kentucky?
Unemployment in Boone County, Kentucky is only 3.1%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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