Carter County, Kentucky Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Carter 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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C
Health Below average
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 83% of counties in Kentucky
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 71% of counties in Kentucky
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Carter County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 26,341 | 4,533,530 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 63.9 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.44% | 0.33% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.7 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 10,792 | 1,813,524 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Carter County declined by 3.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 26,341 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Carter County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 20.9% of residents. That is 0.4 points below Kentucky as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 5,513 20.9% -0.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,806 18.2% -2.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 5,390 20.5% +0.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,274 20.0% +2.2 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 50.6% of the people living in Carter County and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% Kentucky 50.5%
- Men 49.4% Kentucky 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Carter County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Carter County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Carter County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $51,424 | $64,312 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.36% | 4.62% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.3% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Carter County is about 20% lower than in Kentucky.
Housing
| Metric | Carter County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $78,748 | $118,017 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $739 | $967 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 80.0% | 68.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Carter County is about 8.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $739 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Carter County spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 198 hours, about 8.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Carter County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.7 | 20.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 47.5 | 41.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 198 | 173 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,134 | $5,369 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 3.6% | 10.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,827 | 6,995 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 616 | 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 Carter County is 24 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
Carter County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Carter County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 13.7% | 24.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.39 | 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
Carter County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Carter County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.3 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 25.3% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 27.9% | 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).
Carter County, KY Compared With Nearby Counties
Carter County, KY is the 3rd largest of the 4 counties compared here, 26,341 residents against a local median of 35,630. The measure that sets Carter County, KY apart most is commute: 23.7 min, 35% above the local median of 17.6 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $78,748 against a local median of $95,536, 18% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, and it is the wrong way: Carter County, KY reads weaker than its neighbours on all of them. The counties themselves spread 4.4 min on commute, so Carter County, KY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Carter County, KY has the 4th lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carter County, KY | 26,341 | $51,424 #4/4 | $78,748 #3/4 | 23.7 min #4/4 |
| Greenup County, KY | 35,630 | $61,187 | $95,536 | 21.6 min |
| Boyd County, KY | 47,914 | $61,181 | $110,938 | 17.6 min |
| Rowan County, KY | 24,578 | $55,857 | $49,998 | 17.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Carter County, Kentucky.
How big is Carter County, Kentucky by population?
About 26,341 people live in Carter County, Kentucky, in 10,792 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 42.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
How densely populated is Carter County, Kentucky?
Averaged over its land area, Carter County, Kentucky has 64 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Carter County, Kentucky?
The median home costs 1.5 times the median household income ($78,748 against $51,424), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $739 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Carter County, Kentucky?
13.7% of adults in Carter County, Kentucky hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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