Letcher County, KY

County

2024 Population

20,808

US Senator

Mitch McConnell

Republican Party

US Senator

Rand Paul

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

43.5

0.462% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

24.4%

9.01% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$41,793

3.19% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$67,400

4.4% 1-year decline

Population & Diversity

Letcher County, KY is home to a population of 20.8k people, from which 99.7% are citizens.

As of 2024, 0.658% of Letcher County, KY residents were born outside of the country (137 people).

In 2024, there were 80.4 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (20.1k people) in Letcher County, KY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 250 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 128 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.7%

2024 Citizenship

99.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.7% of Letcher County, KY residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Letcher County, KY was 99.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Letcher County, KY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Letcher County, KY

White (Non-Hispanic)
20.1k ± 114
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
250 ± 83
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
128 ± 69

0.769%

Hispanic Population

160 people

0.769% of the people in Letcher County, KY are hispanic (160 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Letcher County, KY as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Kentucky.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
34,417 ± 4,537 people
Cuba
21,613 ± 3,601 people
India
11,987 ± 2,684 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Kentucky was Mexico, the natal country of 34,417 Kentucky residents, followed by Cuba with 21,613 and India with 11,987.

Foreign-Born Population

0.658%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

137 people

0.44%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

93 people

As of 2024, 0.658% of Letcher County, KY residents (137 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Letcher County, KY was 0.44%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Letcher County, KY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
542 ± 142
Gulf War (2001-)
138 ± 75
Gulf War (1990s)
77 ± 52

Letcher County, KY has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.93 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Letcher County, KY.

Health

96.6% of the population of Letcher County, KY has health coverage, with 27.7% on employee plans, 42.2% on Medicaid, 16.3% on Medicare, 8.22% on non-group plans, and 2.1% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Letcher County, KY see 1,771 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,771 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2612 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 1075 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,771 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Letcher County, KY

Primary care physicians in Letcher County, KY see an average of 1,771 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,771 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Letcher County, KY in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Location of Health Services Facilities

Health Service Type

Health Practice Name

Top 5 Health Facilities Servicing the Greatest Number of Addresses

12345 Community Center Dr., Hayward, CA 94540 Census Tract # 4001

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.5% under 18 years, 16.1% between 18 and 34 years, 39.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

3.42%

Uninsured

27.7%

Employer Coverage

42.2%

Medicaid

16.3%

Medicare

8.22%

Non-Group

2.1%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Letcher County, KY declined by 9.12% from 3.76% to 3.42%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Letcher County, KY changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the average number of mentally unhealthy days reported in past 30 days (age-adjusted) was 6.36 in Letcher County, KY.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Letcher County, KY.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 40.6% in Letcher County, KY.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Letcher County, KY.

Clinical Care

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of population under age 65 without health insurance was 7.09% in Letcher County, KY.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Letcher County, KY.

Economy

The economy of Letcher County, KY employs 6.79k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Letcher County, KY were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,314 people), Educational Services (1,140 people), and Retail Trade (712 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($80,750), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($75,417), and Utilities ($62,516).

Employment

Occupations

6.79k

2024 Value

± 631

−2.71%

1 Year decline

± 13.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Letcher County, KY declined at a rate of −2.71%, from 6.97k employees to 6.79k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Letcher County, KY, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (751 people), Transportation Occupations (589 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (520 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Letcher County, KY.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Kentucky.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Kentucky (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

6.79k

2024 Value

± 631

−2.71%

1 Year decline

± 13.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Letcher County, KY declined at a rate of −2.71%, from 6.97k employees to 6.79k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Letcher County, KY, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,314 people), Educational Services (1,140 people), and Retail Trade (712 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Letcher County, KY, though some of these residents may live in Letcher County, KY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$41,345

Median earning men ± $8,862

$29,242

Median earning women ± $5,635

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($69,909), Information ($63,315), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($61,069).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($41,058), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($37,226), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($28,505).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Kentucky.

Y-Axis

2.51%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.98M people employed in Kentucky. This represents a 2.51% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 14.4%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Kentucky.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

28
Health Care and Social Assistance
22
Retail Trade
17
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$54.1k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$18.2k
Retail Trade
$7.08k
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

The student population of Letcher County, KY in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 0 male students and 17 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Letcher County, KY are White (15 and 100%).

The largest universities in Letcher County, KY by number of degrees awarded are Allure Beauty College (15 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Letcher County, KY are General Cosmetology (15 and 100%) and Cosmetology, Barber, & Nail Instructor (0 and 0%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 17 students enrolled in Letcher County, KY, 0% men and 100% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 17 records, of which 100% were women and 0% men.

Completions

Concentrations

General Cosmetology

Most Common

15 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate recipients in Letcher County, KY was General Cosmetology with 15 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate from schools in Letcher County, KY according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Allure Beauty College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

15 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Allure Beauty College with 15 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 0 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Letcher County, KY, which is 0 times less than the 15 female students who received degrees in the same year.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Letcher County, KY was $67,400 in 2024, which is 0.203 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $70,500 to $67,400, a 4.4% decrease. The homeownership rate in Letcher County, KY is 74.1%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Letcher County, KY have an average commute time of 28.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Letcher County, KY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 13.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Letcher County, KY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.49%.

Housing

Property

$67,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,633

$6,274

Median Property Taxes

±$564

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Letcher County, KY the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Letcher County, KY compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

74.1%

Homeownership

2024

63.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 74.1% of the housing units in Letcher County, KY were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 72.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Letcher County, KY compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$41,793

Median Household Income

± $3,868

8.46k

Number of Households

± 665

In 2024, the median household income of the 8.46k households in Letcher County, KY grew to $41,793 from the previous year's value of $40,501.

The following chart displays the households in Letcher County, KY distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Letcher County, KY is from Kentucky.

0.446

2024 Wage GINI in Kentucky

0.449

2023 Wage GINI in Kentucky

In 2024, the income inequality in Kentucky was 0.446 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.585% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Kentucky was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Kentucky in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Kentucky across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (71.5%)
Carpooled (15.2%)
Worked At Home (7.62%)

In 2024, 71.5% of workers in Letcher County, KY drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (15.2%) and those who worked at home (7.62%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

28.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Letcher County, KY have a longer commute time (28.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.76% of the workforce in Letcher County, KY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Letcher County, KY compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Letcher County, KY distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Letcher County, KY have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 13.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Letcher County, KY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.49%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

24.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Letcher County, KY (4.96k out of 20.4k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Letcher County, KY is White, followed by Two Or More and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 28.9% of the children was living in poverty in Letcher County, KY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.5%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 54.1 in Letcher County, KY. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 2.82% per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

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