Ashland, KY

Census Place

2024 Population

21,295

US Senator

Mitch McConnell

Republican Party

US Senator

Rand Paul

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

40.7

0.973% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

22.4%

1.86% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$52,715

0.989% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$125,000

0.239% 1-year decline

Population & Diversity

Ashland, KY is home to a population of 21.3k people, from which 98.5% are citizens.

As of 2024, 1.82% of Ashland, KY residents were born outside of the country (387 people).

In 2024, there were 31.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (19.4k people) in Ashland, KY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 610 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 417 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.5%

2024 Citizenship

99%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.5% of Ashland, KY residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Ashland, KY was 99%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Ashland, KY

White (Non-Hispanic)
19.4k ± 240
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
610 ± 211
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
417 ± 183

2.66%

Hispanic Population

566 people

2.66% of the people in Ashland, KY are hispanic (566 people).

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

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place 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

1.82%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

387 people

1.58%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

338 people

As of 2024, 1.82% of Ashland, KY residents (387 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 Ashland, KY was 1.58%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
456 ± 212
Gulf War (2001-)
369 ± 150
Gulf War (1990s)
262 ± 126

Ashland, KY has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.24 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Ashland, KY employs 8.98k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Ashland, KY were Health Care & Social Assistance (2,260 people), Retail Trade (1,457 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (879 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($120,625), Manufacturing ($71,417), and Construction ($68,438).

Employment

Occupations

8.98k

2024 Value

± 674

1.33%

1 Year growth

± 10.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Ashland, KY grew at a rate of 1.33%, from 8.86k employees to 8.98k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Ashland, KY, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,382 people), Sales & Related Occupations (1,205 people), and Management Occupations (743 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Ashland, 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

8.98k

2024 Value

± 674

1.33%

1 Year growth

± 10.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Ashland, KY grew at a rate of 1.33%, from 8.86k employees to 8.98k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Ashland, KY, are Health Care & Social Assistance (2,260 people), Retail Trade (1,457 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (879 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Ashland, KY, though some of these residents may live in Ashland, KY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$42,609

Median earning men ± $6,227

$36,198

Median earning women ± $3,319

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($84,688), Construction ($68,594), and Public Administration ($64,236).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($145,067), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($55,938), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($50,375).

Education

The student population of Ashland, KY in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 1,003 male students and 1,549 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Ashland, KY are White (2,052 and 92.8%), Two or More Races (71 and 3.21%), Unknown (26 and 1.18%), and Hispanic or Latino (24 and 1.08%).

The largest universities in Ashland, KY by number of degrees awarded are Ashland Community and Technical College (2,212 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Ashland, KY are Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training (406 and 18.4%), Electrician (248 and 11.2%), and Medical Administrative Assistant (183 and 8.27%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 2,552 students enrolled in Ashland, KY, 39.3% men and 60.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,308 records, of which 61.1% were women and 38.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training
376 degrees awarded
Truck, Bus, & Commercial Vehicle Operator & Instructor
114 degrees awarded
Welding Technology
104 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Certificate of less than 1 academic year recipients in Ashland, KY was Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training with 376 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Certificate of less than 1 academic year from schools in Ashland, KY according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Ashland Community and Technical College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

2,212 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Ashland Community and Technical College with 2,212 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 1,200 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Ashland, KY, which is 1.19 times more than the 1,012 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 2,052 degrees mean that there were 28.9 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Two or More Races, with 71 degrees awarded.

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.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($4,536) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($192) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,228) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Ashland, KY was $125,000 in 2024, which is 0.376 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $125,300 to $125,000, a 0.239% decrease. The homeownership rate in Ashland, KY is 60.4%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Ashland, KY have an average commute time of 20.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Ashland, KY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$125,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,519

$5,704

Median Property Taxes

±$547

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 Ashland, KY the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

60.4%

Homeownership

2024

58.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 60.4% of the housing units in Ashland, KY were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 59.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Ashland, 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.

$52,715

Median Household Income

± $5,321

9.44k

Number of Households

± 692

In 2024, the median household income of the 9.44k households in Ashland, KY grew to $52,715 from the previous year's value of $52,199.

The following chart displays the households in Ashland, 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 Ashland, 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 (74%)
Carpooled (11.3%)
Worked At Home (7.46%)

In 2024, 74% of workers in Ashland, KY drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.3%) and those who worked at home (7.46%).

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

20.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Ashland, KY have a shorter commute time (20.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.35% of the workforce in Ashland, KY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

22.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Ashland, KY (4.73k out of 21.1k 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 35 - 44, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Males 25 - 34.

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

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.

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.

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