County profile

Estill County

Kentucky · ACS 2020–2024

Download data

Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
14,035
Median household income
$46,051
People below poverty
20.7%
Median home value
$119,500

Income

The median income of households in Estill County, Kentucky was $46,051. An estimated 7.5% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 2.4% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Estill County, Kentucky in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Less than $10,000 7.5
$10,000 to $14,999 10.5
$15,000 to $24,999 9.9
$25,000 to $34,999 11.3
$35,000 to $49,999 13.4
$50,000 to $74,999 16
$75,000 to $99,999 13.5
$100,000 to $149,999 12.1
$150,000 to $199,999 3.4
$200,000 or more 2.4

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Estill County, Kentucky in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Dollars
Male 48003
Female 41638

An estimated 63% of households received earnings. An estimated 42% of households received Social Security and an estimated 27.6 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $21,346. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Estill County, Kentucky in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Earnings 63
Social Security 42
Retirement income 27.6
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 14.4
Cash public assistance income 2.7

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 20.7 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 20% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 20.7% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 21% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Estill County, Kentucky in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
People in poverty 20.7
Children under 18 years below poverty 20
People 65 years old and over below poverty 20.7
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 21

In 2020-2024, 25.8 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 50.6% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 36.8% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 20.6% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Estill County, Kentucky in 2020-2024, 93.7% had health insurance coverage and 6.3% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 47.7% and public coverage was 58.9%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 1.5%.


In 2020-2024, Estill County, Kentucky had a total population of 14,035 - 7,061 (50.3%) females and 6,974 (49.7%) males. The median age was 44.4 years. An estimated 21.3% of the population was under 18 years, 27.7% was 19 to 44 years, 29.6% was 45 to 64 years, and 19.6 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Estill County, Kentucky in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 366 315
5 to 9 558 441
10 to 14 330 360
15 to 19 471 402
20 to 24 335 320
25 to 29 387 386
30 to 34 420 403
35 to 39 350 318
40 to 44 482 477
45 to 49 473 489
50 to 54 555 493
55 to 59 533 554
60 to 64 507 561
65 to 69 385 427
70 to 74 346 478
75 to 79 263 274
80 to 84 98 203
85 and over 115 160

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 96.1% were White; 0.1% were Black or African American; 25.2% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 1% were Asian; 0.1% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 2.8% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 0.9% of the people in Estill County, Kentucky were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 96% of the people in Estill County, Kentucky were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 5,975 households in Estill County, Kentucky. The average household size was 2.33 people.

Married-couple households made up 47.6% of the households in Estill County, Kentucky while cohabiting couple households made up 7% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 26.2% of all households, while 19.1% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 11.5% of households were male householders living alone, and 15.1% were female householders living alone, for a total of 26.6% of all households.

In Estill County, Kentucky, 31.9% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 35.3% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Estill County, Kentucky in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Married-couple households 47.6
Cohabiting Couples 7
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
19.1
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
26.2

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 51.4% of males and 51.3% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 30.6 21.2
Now married, except separated 51.4 51.3
Separated 1.8 2.2
Widowed 2.9 12
Divorced 13.3 13.3

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Estill County, Kentucky, 499 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 73.5% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 98.1% of the people living in Estill County, Kentucky were U.S. natives. 84.8% of the Estill County, Kentucky population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 1.9% of Estill County, Kentucky residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 38.1% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 23.8 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Estill County, Kentucky come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Estill County, Kentucky.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Estill County, Kentucky in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Latin America 44.6
Asia 41.5
Europe 13.8
Africa 0
Northern America 0
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Estill County, Kentucky in 2020-2024, 2 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 0.9% of people at least five years old; 1.5% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Estill County, Kentucky in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Spanish 0.9
Other Indo-European languages 0.2
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.9
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 95 % of the people at least one year old living in Estill County, Kentucky were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Estill County, Kentucky in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Same house 95
Different house, same county 2.4
Different county, same state 2.4
Different state 0.3
Abroad 0

Education

In 2020-2024, 78.6 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 12.2% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 21.4% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Estill County, Kentucky was 2,928 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 260 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 2,106. College or graduate school enrollment was 562.

Educational Attainment of People in Estill County, Kentucky in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Less than high school diploma 21.4
High school diploma or equivalency 43.2
Some college, no degree 15
Associate's degree 8.2
Bachelor's degree 7.9
Graduate or professional degree 4.3

Disability

In Estill County, Kentucky, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 24.7 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 5.2% of people under 18 years old, to 23.5% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 50.1% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Estill County, Kentucky, 44.2 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 52.4% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 71.7% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 22.9% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 5.1 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 3,675 71.7
Federal, state, or local government workers 1,175 22.9
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 262 5.1

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Estill County, Kentucky worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Estill County, Kentucky in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 0.6
Construction 8.5
Manufacturing 18
Wholesale trade 1.4
Retail trade 13.6
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 8.1
Information 0.4
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 3.1
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 8.3
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 20.7
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 6.3
Other Services, except public administration 2.6
Public administration 8.4

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Estill County, Kentucky in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 1,261 24.6
Service occupations 847 16.5
Sales and office occupations 1,008 19.7
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 505 9.9
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 1,501 29.3

Commuting to Work

An estimated 76.5% of Estill County, Kentucky workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 9.4% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 35.3 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Estill County, Kentucky in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 76.5
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 9.4
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.1
Walked 4.5
Other means 2.5
Worked from home 7

In 2020-2024, Estill County, Kentucky had a total of 6,864 housing units. Of these housing units, 65.3% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 10.9% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 22.5% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Estill County, Kentucky in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Single-family houses 65.3
Apartments in multi-unit structures 10.9
Mobile homes 22.5
Boat, RV, van, etc 1.3

7.6% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 13% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Estill County, Kentucky was 5.4 rooms, and of these housing units 59.3% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Estill County, Kentucky had 5,975 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 889 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 70.4% while renters occupied 29.6%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.46 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.03.

2.4% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 16.9% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 6.9% and another 24.6% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Estill County, Kentucky:

House Heating Fuel Used in Estill County, Kentucky in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Gas 36.3
Electricity 52.3
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 3
All other fuels 8.5
No fuel used 0

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Estill County, Kentucky was $119,500.

Of the owner-occupied households, 41.5 % had a mortgage. 58.5% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,080 and for owners without a mortgage it was $404.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Estill County, Kentucky was $711. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.