Wolfe County, Kentucky Demographics

Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.

Wolfe 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.

  • D
    Health Well below average
    Less healthy than 90% of counties in Kentucky
  • F
    Income Well below average
    Among the 3 least wealthy counties in Kentucky
  • F
    Education Well below average
    Less educated than 85% of counties in Kentucky

Source: Map AI Methodology

Wolfe County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Wolfe County Kentucky Avg U.S. Average
Population 6,443 4,533,530 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 28.9 112.2 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) -1.39% 0.33% 0.59%
Median age 41.2 37.5 37.3
Households 2,673 1,813,524 130,235,071

Population in Wolfe County declined by 8.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 6,443 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Wolfe County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Wolfe County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.0% of residents. That is 1.9 points above Kentucky as a whole.

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 Wolfe County and men 50.4%.

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6,443

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Economy

Wolfe County has a the economy index of F, which means it scores poorly in the economy.

Metric Wolfe County Kentucky Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $30,492 $64,312 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 4.06% 4.62% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 13.1% 4.8% 5.2%

The median household income in Wolfe County is about 53% lower than in Kentucky.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Wolfe County Kentucky Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $40,000 $118,017 $248,835
Median rent $501 $967 $1,407
Homeownership rate 73.6% 68.3% 65.2%

The median home price in Wolfe County is about 6.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $501 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Wolfe County spend about 57 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 235 hours, about 9.8 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Wolfe County Kentucky Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 28.3 20.8 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 56.5 41.6 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 235 173 187
Estimated yearly cost $7,299 $5,369 $5,790
Work from home 6.2% 10.2% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 1,866 6,995 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 280 832 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 Wolfe 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.

Commute and transport details →

Education & Households

Wolfe County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.

Metric Wolfe County Kentucky Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 7.3% 24.5% 31.6%
Average household size 2.36 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

Wolfe County has a health index of D, which means it is barely healthy.

Metric Wolfe County Kentucky Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 75.5 75.0 78.3
Self-rated poor health 31.1% 23.2% 16.3%
Smokers 32.4% 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).

Full health data →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Wolfe County, Kentucky.

How big is Wolfe County, Kentucky by population?

About 6,443 people live in Wolfe County, Kentucky, in 2,673 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 41.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.

Is Wolfe County, Kentucky mostly urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Wolfe County, Kentucky has 29 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 33% of the U.S. average of 86.

Is Wolfe County, Kentucky an affordable place to live?

The median home costs 1.3 times the median household income ($40,000 against $30,492), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $501 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

How strong is the job market in Wolfe County, Kentucky?

Unemployment in Wolfe County, Kentucky is 13.1%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.

How educated are people in Wolfe County, Kentucky?

7.3% of adults in Wolfe County, Kentucky hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 14), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.

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