Rockcastle County, Kentucky Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Rockcastle 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 72% of counties in Kentucky
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 74% of counties in Kentucky
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 80% of counties in Kentucky
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Rockcastle County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 16,158 | 4,533,530 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 50.8 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.54% | 0.33% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.1 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 6,533 | 1,813,524 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Rockcastle County declined by 2.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 16,158 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Rockcastle County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.9% of residents. That is 2.8 points above Kentucky as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,088 19.1% -2.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,163 19.6% -1.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,695 22.9% +2.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,256 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 51.1% of the people living in Rockcastle County and men 48.9%.
- Women 51.1% Kentucky 50.5%
- Men 48.9% Kentucky 49.5%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Rockcastle County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Rockcastle County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Rockcastle County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $49,228 | $64,312 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.01% | 4.62% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.6% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Rockcastle County is about 23% lower than in Kentucky.
Housing
| Metric | Rockcastle County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $46,957 | $118,017 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $676 | $967 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 74.3% | 68.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Rockcastle County is about 5.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $676 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Rockcastle County spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 189 hours, about 7.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Rockcastle County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.7 | 20.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 45.4 | 41.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 189 | 173 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,866 | $5,369 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.4% | 10.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 10,292 | 6,995 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 472 | 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 Rockcastle County is 23 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
Rockcastle County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Rockcastle County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 11.3% | 24.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.43 | 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
Rockcastle County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Rockcastle County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 72.9 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 25.1% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 29.0% | 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).
Rockcastle County, KY Compared With Nearby Counties
Rockcastle County, KY is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 16,158 residents against a local median of 62,983. Where Rockcastle County, KY breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 58% below the local median of $113,146 at $46,957.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $49,228 against a local median of $58,280, 16% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 16% below the local median it puts Rockcastle County, KY at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $154,525 on median home price, so Rockcastle County, KY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Rockcastle County, KY has the 3rd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockcastle County, KY | 16,158 | $49,228 #4/4 | $46,957 #3/4 | 22.7 min #3/4 |
| Laurel County, KY | 62,983 | $58,280 | $177,934 | 18.3 min |
| Lincoln County, KY | 24,512 | $52,661 | $23,408 | 25.7 min |
| Madison County, KY | 95,769 | $64,757 | $113,146 | 21.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Rockcastle County, Kentucky.
How many people live in Rockcastle County, Kentucky?
About 16,158 people live in Rockcastle County, Kentucky, in 6,533 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 41.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Rockcastle County, Kentucky urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Rockcastle County, Kentucky has 51 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 59% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Rockcastle County, Kentucky an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.0 times the median household income ($46,957 against $49,228), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $676 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Rockcastle County, Kentucky have a college degree?
11.3% of adults in Rockcastle County, Kentucky hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 9), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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