County profile

Fayette County

Kentucky · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

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

Total population
323,725
Median household income
$69,479
People below poverty
14.9%
Median home value
$293,500

Income

The median income of households in Fayette County, Kentucky was $69,479. An estimated 6.1% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 10.9% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Fayette County, Kentucky in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 6.1
$10,000 to $14,999 3.3
$15,000 to $24,999 6.8
$25,000 to $34,999 8.6
$35,000 to $49,999 11.9
$50,000 to $74,999 16.6
$75,000 to $99,999 12.3
$100,000 to $149,999 15.1
$150,000 to $199,999 8.6
$200,000 or more 10.9

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

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Dollars
Male 62315
Female 54191

An estimated 82.3% of households received earnings. An estimated 24.7% of households received Social Security and an estimated 20.6 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $24,494. 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 Fayette County, Kentucky in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 82.3
Social Security 24.7
Retirement income 20.6
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 3.6
Cash public assistance income 1.7

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 14.9 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 17.9% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 8% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 15.5% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Fayette County, Kentucky in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 14.9
Children under 18 years below poverty 17.9
People 65 years old and over below poverty 8
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 15.5

In 2020-2024, 8.5 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 56.9% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 29.8% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 37% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Fayette County, Kentucky in 2020-2024, 92.8% had health insurance coverage and 7.2% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 69.5% and public coverage was 34.5%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 3%.


In 2020-2024, Fayette County, Kentucky had a total population of 323,725 - 164,152 (50.7%) females and 159,573 (49.3%) males. The median age was 35.3 years. An estimated 21% of the population was under 18 years, 38.4% was 19 to 44 years, 22.5% was 45 to 64 years, and 14.7 % was 65 years and older.

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

Male Female
Under 5 9369 9024
5 to 9 10106 8367
10 to 14 9204 10036
15 to 19 11595 11481
20 to 24 16307 16685
25 to 29 12754 12365
30 to 34 11831 11523
35 to 39 11497 11072
40 to 44 10177 9837
45 to 49 9554 9396
50 to 54 9243 9069
55 to 59 8327 8132
60 to 64 8931 10217
65 to 69 7221 8983
70 to 74 6018 6663
75 to 79 3981 4953
80 to 84 1860 3099
85 and over 1598 3250

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 68.4% were White; 14.5% were Black or African American; 12.5% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 4.4% were Asian; 5.7% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 8.9% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 9.5% of the people in Fayette County, Kentucky were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 66.7% of the people in Fayette County, Kentucky were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 139,715 households in Fayette County, Kentucky. The average household size was 2.23 people.

Married-couple households made up 38.8% of the households in Fayette County, Kentucky while cohabiting couple households made up 8.7% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 30.3% of all households, while 22.2% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 16.2% of households were male householders living alone, and 18.9% were female householders living alone, for a total of 35.1% of all households.

In Fayette County, Kentucky, 25.6% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 25.2% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

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

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Percent
Married-couple households 38.8
Cohabiting Couples 8.7
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
22.2
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
30.3

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 44.5% of males and 41.4% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 41.3 37
Now married, except separated 44.5 41.4
Separated 1.3 1.4
Widowed 2 6.8
Divorced 10.8 13.4

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Fayette County, Kentucky, 3,828 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 48% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 88.1% of the people living in Fayette County, Kentucky were U.S. natives. 57.3% of the Fayette County, Kentucky population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 11.9% of Fayette County, Kentucky residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 35.6% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 46.6 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Fayette 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 Fayette County, Kentucky.

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

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Percent
Latin America 35.9
Asia 34.3
Europe 8.2
Africa 19.7
Northern America 1.6
Oceania 0.3

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Fayette County, Kentucky in 2020-2024, 15.9 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 7.6% of people at least five years old; 6.7% 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 Fayette County, Kentucky in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 7.6
Other Indo-European languages 3.4
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 2.5
Other languages 2.4

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 79.8 % of the people at least one year old living in Fayette County, Kentucky were living in the same house one year earlier.

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

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Percent
Same house 79.8
Different house, same county 11.1
Different county, same state 4.4
Different state 3.7
Abroad 1

Education

In 2020-2024, 92.1 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 48.3% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 7.9% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Fayette County, Kentucky was 88,143 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 3,584 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 48,341. College or graduate school enrollment was 36,218.

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

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 7.9
High school diploma or equivalency 18.5
Some college, no degree 17.9
Associate's degree 7.4
Bachelor's degree 27.3
Graduate or professional degree 21

Disability

In Fayette County, Kentucky, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 13.3 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 5.7% of people under 18 years old, to 11.5% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 32.2% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Fayette County, Kentucky, 65.1 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 31.6% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 78% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 16.7% 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 133,875 78
Federal, state, or local government workers 28,718 16.7
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 8,813 5.1

Industries

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

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

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 1.5
Construction 4.7
Manufacturing 9.6
Wholesale trade 1.8
Retail trade 11.2
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 4.9
Information 1.3
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 5
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 12.6
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 29.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 9.8
Other Services, except public administration 5.1
Public administration 3.1

Occupations

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

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 81,357 47.4
Service occupations 28,120 16.4
Sales and office occupations 33,918 19.8
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 9,185 5.3
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 19,136 11.1

Commuting to Work

An estimated 73.1% of Fayette County, Kentucky workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 8.7% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 20.9 minutes to get to work.

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

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 73.1
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 8.7
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 1.5
Walked 3.1
Other means 1.5
Worked from home 12.2

In 2020-2024, Fayette County, Kentucky had a total of 148,959 housing units. Of these housing units, 64.9% 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"). 34% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 1.1% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

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

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Percent
Single-family houses 64.9
Apartments in multi-unit structures 34
Mobile homes 1.1
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

11.6% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 6.8% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Fayette County, Kentucky was 5.4 rooms, and of these housing units 59.5% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Fayette County, Kentucky had 139,715 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 9,244 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 53.8% while renters occupied 46.2%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.39 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.04.

7.1% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 5.9% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 7.2% and another 16% had three or more vehicles available for use.

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

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

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Percent
Gas 41.9
Electricity 57.3
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.1
All other fuels 0.2
No fuel used 0.4

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Fayette County, Kentucky was $293,500.

Of the owner-occupied households, 67.7 % had a mortgage. 32.3% 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 $1,636 and for owners without a mortgage it was $599.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Fayette County, Kentucky was $1,164. 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.