McLean County, Kentucky Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
McLean 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 averageHealthier than 81% of counties in Kentucky
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C
Income Below averageWealthier than 77% of counties in Kentucky
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F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | McLean County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 9,114 | 4,533,530 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 35.6 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.51% | 0.33% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.3 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 3,641 | 1,813,524 | 130,235,071 |
Population in McLean County declined by 6.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 9,114 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in McLean County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.4% of residents. That is 1.3 points above Kentucky as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,758 19.3% -2.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,738 19.1% -1.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 1,952 21.4% +1.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 1,837 20.2% +2.3 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 McLean 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 McLean County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
McLean County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | McLean County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $67,096 | $64,312 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.72% | 4.62% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.6% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in McLean County is about 4% higher than in Kentucky.
Housing
| Metric | McLean County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $40,000 | $118,017 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $641 | $967 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 82.8% | 68.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in McLean County is about 5.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $641 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in McLean 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 259 hours, about 10.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | McLean County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 31.1 | 20.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 62.2 | 41.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 259 | 173 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $8,031 | $5,369 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.8% | 10.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,429 | 6,995 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 494 | 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 McLean 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
McLean County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | McLean County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.1% | 24.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.48 | 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
McLean County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | McLean County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.5 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.7% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.8% | 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).
McLean County, KY Compared With Nearby Counties
McLean County, KY is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 9,114 residents against a local median of 44,257. Where McLean County, KY breaks from the counties next to it is commute, sitting 66% above the local median of 18.8 min at 31.1 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $40,000 against a local median of $68,749, 42% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so McLean County, KY is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread 12.1 min on commute, so McLean County, KY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. McLean County, KY has the 6th lowest commute of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McLean County, KY | 9,114 | $67,096 #2/6 | $40,000 #5/6 | 31.1 min #6/6 |
| Daviess County, KY | 103,589 | $67,826 | $212,371 | 16.3 min |
| Muhlenberg County, KY | 30,591 | $54,328 | $68,749 | 21.6 min |
| Hopkins County, KY | 45,117 | $57,061 | $131,322 | 16.6 min |
| Henderson County, KY | 44,257 | $58,734 | $57,499 | 18.8 min |
| Ohio County, KY | 23,735 | $57,842 | $19,336 | 28.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about McLean County, Kentucky.
What is the population of McLean County, Kentucky?
About 9,114 people live in McLean County, Kentucky, in 3,641 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 41.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is McLean County, Kentucky?
Averaged over its land area, McLean County, Kentucky has 36 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 41% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is McLean County, Kentucky an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 0.6 times the median household income ($40,000 against $67,096), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $641 a month takes about 11% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in McLean County, Kentucky have a college degree?
17.1% of adults in McLean County, Kentucky hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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