Whitley County, Kentucky Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Whitley 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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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 77% of counties in Kentucky
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 77% of counties in Kentucky
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Whitley County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 36,920 | 4,533,530 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 82.9 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.37% | 0.33% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.2 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 13,541 | 1,813,524 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Whitley County declined by 3.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 36,920 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Whitley County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 23.7% of residents. That is 2.3 points above Kentucky as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 8,749 23.7% +2.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 7,123 19.3% -1.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 7,210 19.5% -0.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,848 15.8% -2.0 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 Whitley 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 Whitley County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Whitley County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Whitley County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $44,696 | $64,312 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.19% | 4.62% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.3% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Whitley County is about 31% lower than in Kentucky.
Housing
| Metric | Whitley County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $41,786 | $118,017 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $797 | $967 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 66.8% | 68.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Whitley County is about 4.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $797 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Whitley County spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 170 hours, about 7.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Whitley County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.4 | 20.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 40.8 | 41.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 170 | 173 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,273 | $5,369 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.9% | 10.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,317 | 6,995 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 553 | 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 Whitley County is 20 minutes, shorter 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
Whitley County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Whitley County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.4% | 24.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.60 | 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
Whitley County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Whitley County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 71.7 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 23.8% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 26.3% | 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).
Whitley County, KY Compared With Nearby Counties
Whitley County, KY is typical in size for this group, 36,920 residents against a local median of 34,813, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Whitley County, KY's median home price, at $41,786, runs 69% below the $132,813 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $157,235 on median home price, so Whitley County, KY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Whitley County, KY has the 5th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitley County, KY | 36,920 | $44,696 #3/5 | $41,786 #5/5 | 20.4 min #4/5 |
| Knox County, KY | 29,865 | $32,074 | $87,692 | 18.3 min |
| Laurel County, KY | 62,983 | $58,280 | $177,934 | 18.3 min |
| Campbell County, TN | 39,761 | $51,969 | $219,444 | 26.1 min |
| Bell County, KY | 23,509 | $31,831 | $62,209 | 17.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Whitley County, Kentucky.
What is the population of Whitley County, Kentucky?
About 36,920 people live in Whitley County, Kentucky, in 13,541 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 35.2, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Whitley County, Kentucky urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Whitley County, Kentucky has 83 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 Whitley County, Kentucky?
The median home costs 0.9 times the median household income ($41,786 against $44,696), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $797 a month takes about 21% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Whitley County, Kentucky?
17.4% of adults in Whitley 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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