Spencer County, Kentucky Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Spencer 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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B
Health Around averageAmong the top 5 healthiest counties in Kentucky
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B
Income Around averageAmong the top 3 wealthiest counties in Kentucky
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 84% of counties in Kentucky
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Spencer County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 20,193 | 4,533,530 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 105.4 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.59% | 0.33% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.7 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 7,308 | 1,813,524 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Spencer County grew by 20.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 20,193 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Spencer County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 24.1% of residents. That is 4.0 points above Kentucky as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,758 18.6% -2.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,539 22.5% +1.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,859 24.1% +4.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,249 16.1% -1.7 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 49.9% of the people living in Spencer County and men 50.1%.
- Women 49.9% Kentucky 50.5%
- Men 50.1% Kentucky 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Spencer County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Spencer County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Spencer County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $100,880 | $64,312 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.44% | 4.62% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.0% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Spencer County is about 57% higher than in Kentucky.
Housing
| Metric | Spencer County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $443,750 | $118,017 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $986 | $967 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 87.9% | 68.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Spencer County is about 37.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $986 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Spencer County spend about 67 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 277 hours, about 11.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Spencer County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 33.3 | 20.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 66.6 | 41.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 277 | 173 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $8,596 | $5,369 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.3% | 10.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 10,477 | 6,995 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 969 | 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 Spencer County is 33 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
Spencer County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Spencer County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.8% | 24.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.75 | 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
Spencer County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Spencer County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.8 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.1% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.4% | 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).
Spencer County, KY Compared With Nearby Counties
Spencer County, KY is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 20,193 residents against a local median of 48,351. Spencer County, KY's median home price, at $443,750, runs 130% above the $193,141 typical of the counties around it.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $100,880 against a local median of $72,217, 40% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so Spencer County, KY is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $236,525 on median home price, so Spencer County, KY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Spencer County, KY has the highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer County, KY | 20,193 | $100,880 #1/5 | $443,750 #1/5 | 33.3 min #5/5 |
| Shelby County, KY | 49,096 | $86,215 | $223,863 | 25.5 min |
| Nelson County, KY | 47,606 | $69,485 | $277,840 | 22.2 min |
| Anderson County, KY | 24,353 | $74,458 | $41,316 | 29.0 min |
| Jefferson County, KY | 781,949 | $69,976 | $162,419 | 21.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Spencer County, Kentucky.
How many people live in Spencer County, Kentucky?
About 20,193 people live in Spencer County, Kentucky, in 7,308 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 43.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
How densely populated is Spencer County, Kentucky?
Averaged over its land area, Spencer County, Kentucky has 105 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Spencer County, Kentucky?
The median home costs 4.4 times the median household income ($443,750 against $100,880), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $986 a month takes about 12% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Spencer County, Kentucky?
20.8% of adults in Spencer County, Kentucky hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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