Letcher County, Kentucky Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Letcher 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.
-
D
Health Well below averageLess healthy than 95% of counties in Kentucky
-
D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 84% of counties in Kentucky
-
F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 72% of counties in Kentucky
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Letcher County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 20,808 | 4,533,530 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 61.4 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.45% | 0.33% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.8 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 8,463 | 1,813,524 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Letcher County declined by 13.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 20,808 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Letcher County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 23.0% of residents. That is 2.9 points above Kentucky as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,828 18.4% -3.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,012 19.3% -1.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,785 23.0% +2.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,347 20.9% +3.1 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 50.2% of the people living in Letcher County and men 49.8%.
- Women 50.2% Kentucky 50.5%
- Men 49.8% Kentucky 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Letcher County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Letcher County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Letcher County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $41,776 | $64,312 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.58% | 4.62% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.2% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Letcher County is about 35% lower than in Kentucky.
Housing
| Metric | Letcher County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $22,812 | $118,017 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $669 | $967 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 74.1% | 68.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Letcher County is about 2.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $669 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Letcher 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 | Letcher County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.7 | 20.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.4 | 41.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 172 | 173 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,345 | $5,369 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.6% | 10.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,031 | 6,995 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 307 | 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 Letcher 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
Letcher County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Letcher County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 12.3% | 24.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.42 | 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
Letcher County has a health index of D, which means it is barely healthy.
| Metric | Letcher County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 72.9 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 29.4% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 31.3% | 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).
Letcher County, KY Compared With Nearby Counties
Letcher County, KY is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 20,808 residents against a local median of 27,499. Where Letcher County, KY breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 65% below the local median of $64,936 at $22,812.
The counties themselves spread $76,352 on median home price, so Letcher County, KY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Letcher County, KY has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letcher County, KY | 20,808 | $41,776 #3/4 | $22,812 #4/4 | 20.7 min #4/4 |
| Wise County, VA | 35,431 | $53,154 | $64,936 | 18.4 min |
| Perry County, KY | 27,499 | $42,766 | $28,169 | 18.1 min |
| Harlan County, KY | 25,771 | $41,438 | $104,521 | 17.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Letcher County, Kentucky.
How many people live in Letcher County, Kentucky?
About 20,808 people live in Letcher County, Kentucky, in 8,463 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 41.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is Letcher County, Kentucky?
Averaged over its land area, Letcher County, Kentucky has 61 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Letcher County, Kentucky an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 0.5 times the median household income ($22,812 against $41,776), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $669 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Letcher County, Kentucky have a college degree?
12.3% of adults in Letcher County, Kentucky hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 8), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →