Kenton County, Kentucky Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Kenton 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 averageHealthier than 87% of counties in Kentucky
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B
Income Around averageAmong the top 5 wealthiest counties in Kentucky
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 95% of counties in Kentucky
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Kenton County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 171,173 | 4,533,530 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1041.4 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.58% | 0.33% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.0 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 67,324 | 1,813,524 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Kenton County grew by 9.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 171,173 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Kenton County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 23.0% of residents. That is 2.1 points above Kentucky as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 36,200 21.1% -0.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 39,382 23.0% +2.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 33,987 19.9% -0.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 26,948 15.7% -2.1 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 50.3% of the people living in Kenton County and men 49.7%.
- Women 50.3% Kentucky 50.5%
- Men 49.7% Kentucky 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Kenton County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Kenton County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Kenton County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $81,725 | $64,312 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.71% | 4.62% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.3% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Kenton County is about 27% higher than in Kentucky.
Housing
| Metric | Kenton County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $127,436 | $118,017 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,068 | $967 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.8% | 68.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Kenton County is about 9.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,068 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Kenton County spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 172 hours, about 7.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Kenton County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.6 | 20.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.2 | 41.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 172 | 173 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,324 | $5,369 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.1% | 10.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 14,841 | 6,995 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,157 | 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 Kenton County is about the same as 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
Kenton County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Kenton County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 34.4% | 24.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.51 | 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
Kenton County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Kenton County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.2 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.4% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.1% | 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).
Kenton County, KY Compared With Nearby Counties
Kenton County, KY is the 2nd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 171,173 residents against a local median of 116,610. The measure that sets Kenton County, KY apart most is median home price: $127,436, 16% below the local median of $151,200.
The counties themselves spread $78,195 on median home price, so Kenton County, KY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Kenton County, KY has the 5th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenton County, KY | 171,173 | $81,725 #2/5 | $127,436 #5/5 | 20.6 min #1/5 |
| Campbell County, KY | 93,398 | $77,450 | $210,628 | 21.8 min |
| Boone County, KY | 139,822 | $99,828 | $161,197 | 21.8 min |
| Hamilton County, OH | 829,354 | $72,506 | $132,433 | 21.7 min |
| Grant County, KY | 25,418 | $68,253 | $141,203 | 26.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Kenton County, Kentucky.
How big is Kenton County, Kentucky by population?
About 171,173 people live in Kenton County, Kentucky, in 67,324 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 35.0, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
How densely populated is Kenton County, Kentucky?
Averaged over its land area, Kenton County, Kentucky has 1,041 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 12 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Kenton County, Kentucky?
The median home costs 1.6 times the median household income ($127,436 against $81,725), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,068 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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