Garrard County, Kentucky Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Garrard 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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C
Income Below averageWealthier than 79% of counties in Kentucky
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Garrard County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 17,568 | 4,533,530 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 75.1 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.38% | 0.33% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.5 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 6,695 | 1,813,524 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Garrard County grew by 4.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 17,568 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Garrard County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 23.5% of residents. That is 3.4 points above Kentucky as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,162 18.0% -3.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,573 20.3% -0.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,123 23.5% +3.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,231 18.4% +0.6 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 50.5% of the people living in Garrard County and men 49.5%.
- Women 50.5% Kentucky 50.5%
- Men 49.5% Kentucky 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Garrard County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Garrard County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Garrard County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $62,823 | $64,312 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.91% | 4.62% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.1% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Garrard County is about 2% lower than in Kentucky.
Housing
| Metric | Garrard County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $116,477 | $118,017 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $793 | $967 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 79.9% | 68.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Garrard County is about 12.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $793 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Garrard County spend about 62 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 256 hours, about 10.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Garrard County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.8 | 20.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 61.6 | 41.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 256 | 173 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,950 | $5,369 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.0% | 10.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,985 | 6,995 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 525 | 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 Garrard County is 31 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
Garrard County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Garrard County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 18.8% | 24.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.61 | 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
Garrard County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Garrard County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.6 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 22.4% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 25.2% | 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).
Garrard County, KY Compared With Nearby Counties
Garrard County, KY is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 17,568 residents against a local median of 42,764. Where Garrard County, KY breaks from the counties next to it is commute, sitting 41% above the local median of 21.8 min at 30.8 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $116,477 against a local median of $151,138, 23% below it. The counties themselves spread 9.3 min on commute, so Garrard County, KY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Garrard County, KY has the 5th lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garrard County, KY | 17,568 | $62,823 #3/5 | $116,477 #3/5 | 30.8 min #5/5 |
| Lincoln County, KY | 24,512 | $52,661 | $23,408 | 25.7 min |
| Jessamine County, KY | 54,588 | $74,512 | $193,249 | 22.7 min |
| Madison County, KY | 95,769 | $64,757 | $113,146 | 21.0 min |
| Boyle County, KY | 30,941 | $61,212 | $189,130 | 16.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Garrard County, Kentucky.
What is the population of Garrard County, Kentucky?
About 17,568 people live in Garrard County, Kentucky, in 6,695 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 40.5, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Garrard County, Kentucky mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Garrard County, Kentucky has 75 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Garrard County, Kentucky an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.9 times the median household income ($116,477 against $62,823), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $793 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Garrard County, Kentucky?
18.8% of adults in Garrard County, Kentucky hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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