Lewis County, Kentucky Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Lewis 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 averageLess healthy than 80% of counties in Kentucky
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 81% of counties in Kentucky
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 93% of counties in Kentucky
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Lewis County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 12,965 | 4,533,530 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 26.2 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.64% | 0.33% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 44.0 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 5,019 | 1,813,524 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Lewis County declined by 6.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 12,965 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Lewis County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.0% of residents. That is 1.9 points above Kentucky as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,463 19.0% -2.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,481 19.1% -1.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,853 22.0% +1.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,519 19.4% +1.6 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 50.1% of the people living in Lewis County and men 49.9%.
- Women 50.1% Kentucky 50.5%
- Men 49.9% Kentucky 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Lewis County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Lewis County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Lewis County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $46,612 | $64,312 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.27% | 4.62% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.0% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Lewis County is about 28% lower than in Kentucky.
Housing
| Metric | Lewis County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $21,719 | $118,017 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $751 | $967 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 79.2% | 68.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Lewis County is about 2.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $751 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Lewis County spend about 61 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 256 hours, about 10.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Lewis County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.7 | 20.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 61.3 | 41.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 256 | 173 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,922 | $5,369 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 12.0% | 10.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,101 | 6,995 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 467 | 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 Lewis 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
Lewis County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Lewis County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 10.0% | 24.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.55 | 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
Lewis County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Lewis County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.7 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 28.2% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 31.5% | 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).
Lewis County, KY Compared With Nearby Counties
Lewis County, KY is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 12,965 residents against a local median of 26,341. Where Lewis County, KY breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 70% below the local median of $72,963 at $21,719.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 30.7 min against a local median of 23.7 min, 29% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 29% above the local median it puts Lewis County, KY at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $28,751 on median home price, so Lewis County, KY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Lewis County, KY has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis County, KY | 12,965 | $46,612 #4/4 | $21,719 #4/4 | 30.7 min #4/4 |
| Adams County, OH | 27,540 | $50,196 | $72,963 | 28.4 min |
| Rowan County, KY | 24,578 | $55,857 | $49,998 | 17.2 min |
| Carter County, KY | 26,341 | $51,424 | $78,748 | 23.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Lewis County, Kentucky.
How many people live in Lewis County, Kentucky?
About 12,965 people live in Lewis County, Kentucky, in 5,019 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 44.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 7 years.
Is Lewis County, Kentucky mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Lewis County, Kentucky has 26 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 30% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Lewis County, Kentucky an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 0.5 times the median household income ($21,719 against $46,612), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $751 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Lewis County, Kentucky?
10.0% of adults in Lewis County, Kentucky hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 10), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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