Meade County, Kentucky Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Meade 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.
-
B
Health Around averageHealthier than 86% of counties in Kentucky
-
C
Income Below averageWealthier than 87% of counties in Kentucky
-
D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 80% of counties in Kentucky
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Meade County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 30,155 | 4,533,530 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 93.0 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.61% | 0.33% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.5 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 11,006 | 1,813,524 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Meade County grew by 10.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 30,155 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Meade County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 23.5% of residents. That is 2.6 points above Kentucky as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 5,978 19.8% -1.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 7,087 23.5% +2.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 6,510 21.6% +1.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,887 16.2% -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 49.6% of the people living in Meade County and men 50.4%.
- Women 49.6% Kentucky 50.5%
- Men 50.4% Kentucky 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Meade County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Meade County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Meade County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $73,987 | $64,312 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.06% | 4.62% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Meade County is about 15% higher than in Kentucky.
Housing
| Metric | Meade County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $186,458 | $118,017 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,025 | $967 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 74.1% | 68.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Meade County is about 15.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,025 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Meade County spend about 56 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 232 hours, about 9.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Meade County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 27.9 | 20.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 55.8 | 41.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 232 | 173 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,202 | $5,369 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.6% | 10.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,452 | 6,995 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 534 | 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 Meade County is 28 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
Meade County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Meade County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.1% | 24.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.72 | 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
Meade County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Meade County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.1 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.7% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.8% | 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).
Meade County, KY Compared With Nearby Counties
Meade County, KY is the 3rd largest of the 4 counties compared here, 30,155 residents against a local median of 39,866. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Meade County, KY an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is median household income, 10% above the local median at $73,987 against $67,218. Meade County, KY has the 2nd highest median household income of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meade County, KY | 30,155 | $73,987 #2/4 | $186,458 #2/4 | 27.9 min #3/4 |
| Harrison County, IN | 39,866 | $74,587 | $167,253 | 30.8 min |
| Breckinridge County, KY | 20,880 | $55,056 | $172,465 | 27.1 min |
| Hardin County, KY | 111,942 | $67,218 | $231,140 | 18.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Meade County, Kentucky.
What is the population of Meade County, Kentucky?
About 30,155 people live in Meade County, Kentucky, in 11,006 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 38.5, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Meade County, Kentucky urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Meade County, Kentucky has 93 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Meade County, Kentucky?
The median home costs 2.5 times the median household income ($186,458 against $73,987), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,025 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Meade County, Kentucky?
16.1% of adults in Meade County, Kentucky hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), 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 →