Martin County, Kentucky Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Martin 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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F
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 95% of counties in Kentucky
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 86% of counties in Kentucky
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Martin County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 11,027 | 4,533,530 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 47.8 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.54% | 0.33% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.8 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 3,854 | 1,813,524 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Martin County declined by 17.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11,027 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Martin County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 24.1% of residents. That is 3.2 points above Kentucky as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,331 21.1% -0.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,652 24.1% +3.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,287 20.7% +0.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 1,912 17.3% -0.5 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 45.1% of the people living in Martin County and men 54.9%.
- Women 45.1% Kentucky 50.5%
- Men 54.9% Kentucky 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Martin County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Martin County has a the economy index of F, which means it scores poorly in the economy.
| Metric | Martin County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $36,960 | $64,312 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.64% | 4.62% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.4% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Martin County is about 43% lower than in Kentucky.
Housing
| Metric | Martin County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $19,365 | $118,017 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $450 | $967 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 84.9% | 68.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Martin County is about 3.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $450 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Martin County spend about 48 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 199 hours, about 8.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Martin County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.9 | 20.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 47.8 | 41.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 199 | 173 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,178 | $5,369 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 3.9% | 10.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,774 | 6,995 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 450 | 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 Martin 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
Martin County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Martin County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 9.9% | 24.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.49 | 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
Martin County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Martin County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.7 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 23.1% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 28.1% | 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).
Martin County, KY Compared With Nearby Counties
Martin County, KY is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 11,027 residents against a local median of 36,694. The measure that sets Martin County, KY apart most is median home price: $19,365, 79% below the local median of $93,085.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $36,960 against a local median of $44,630, 17% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 17% below the local median it puts Martin County, KY at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $95,656 on median home price, so Martin County, KY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Martin County, KY has the 5th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin County, KY | 11,027 | $36,960 #5/5 | $19,365 #5/5 | 23.9 min #5/5 |
| Johnson County, KY | 22,334 | $44,929 | $87,311 | 18.3 min |
| Floyd County, KY | 35,224 | $41,750 | $125,000 | 21.9 min |
| Pike County, KY | 56,725 | $44,332 | $29,344 | 20.1 min |
| Wayne County, WV | 38,164 | $59,127 | $98,860 | 21.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Martin County, Kentucky.
What is the population of Martin County, Kentucky?
About 11,027 people live in Martin County, Kentucky, in 3,854 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 40.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
How densely populated is Martin County, Kentucky?
Averaged over its land area, Martin County, Kentucky has 48 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 55% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Martin County, Kentucky?
The median home costs 0.5 times the median household income ($19,365 against $36,960), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $450 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Martin County, Kentucky?
9.9% of adults in Martin 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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