Ballard County, KY

County

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2024 Population

7,654

US Senator

Mitch McConnell

Republican Party

US Senator

Rand Paul

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

1.81% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

15%

8.97% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$66,164

2.2% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$145,800

9.71% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

3,397

1.92% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Ballard County, KY reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.3% of the residents in Ballard County, KY are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Ballard County, KY was $145,800, and the homeownership rate was 76%.

Most people in Ballard County, KY drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Ballard County, KY was 2 cars per household.

Ballard County, KY borders Alexander County, IL, Pulaski County, IL, Carlisle County, KY, McCracken County, KY, and Mississippi County, MO.

United States Kentucky Paducah, KY-IL

Population & Diversity

Ballard County, KY is home to a population of 7.65k people, from which 99.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.18% of Ballard County, KY residents were born outside of the country (90 people).

In 2024, there were 25.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (6.97k people) in Ballard County, KY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 275 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 227 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.3%

2024 Citizenship

99.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.3% of Ballard County, KY residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Ballard County, KY was 99.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Ballard County, KY

White (Non-Hispanic)
6.97k ± 60
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
275 ± 80
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
227 ± 73

1.55%

Hispanic Population

119 people

1.55% of the people in Ballard County, KY are hispanic (119 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Ballard 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

1.18%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

90 people

1.39%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

107 people

As of 2024, 1.18% of Ballard County, KY residents (90 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 Ballard County, KY was 1.39%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
140 ± 50
Gulf War (1990s)
53 ± 38
Gulf War (2001-)
40 ± 31

Ballard County, KY has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.64 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Ballard County, KY employs 3.4k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Ballard County, KY were Health Care & Social Assistance (549 people), Manufacturing (467 people), and Retail Trade (335 people), and the highest paying industries were Educational Services ($59,141), Administrative & Support & Waste Management Services ($59,000), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($58,432).

Employment

Occupations

3.4k

2024 Value

± 309

1.92%

1 Year growth

± 12.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Ballard County, KY grew at a rate of 1.92%, from 3.33k employees to 3.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Ballard County, KY, are Management Occupations (463 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (397 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (319 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Ballard 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

3.4k

2024 Value

± 309

1.92%

1 Year growth

± 12.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Ballard County, KY grew at a rate of 1.92%, from 3.33k employees to 3.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Ballard County, KY, are Health Care & Social Assistance (549 people), Manufacturing (467 people), and Retail Trade (335 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Ballard County, KY, though some of these residents may live in Ballard County, KY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,333

Median earning men ± $9,247

$38,211

Median earning women ± $5,144

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($100,278), Manufacturing ($62,240), and Public Administration ($60,417).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($83,393), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($58,750), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($44,034).

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

19
Other Services (except Public Administration)
15
Retail Trade
9
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

$40.1k
Manufacturing
$7.71k
Transportation and Warehousing
$4.93k
Wholesale Trade

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

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Kentucky went to Donald J. Trump with 64.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (33.9%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.808%).

Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul are the senators currently representing the state of Kentucky. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Kentucky is currently represented by 6 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Ballard County, KY. Showing the available data for Kentucky.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (64.5%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (33.9%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (0.808%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Kentucky went to Donald J. Trump with 64.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (33.9%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.808%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Kentucky for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Kentucky

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Kentucky.

Mitch McConnell

Senator from Kentucky

Assumed office on January 3, 1985

Rand Paul

Senator from Kentucky

Assumed office on January 3, 2011

Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul are the senators currently representing Kentucky.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Kentucky over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Ballard County, KY was $145,800 in 2024, which is 0.438 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $132,900 to $145,800, a 9.71% increase. The homeownership rate in Ballard County, KY is 76%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Ballard County, KY have an average commute time of 26.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Ballard County, KY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 9.34% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Ballard County, KY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.06%.

Housing

Property

$145,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$17,180

$2,438

Median Property Taxes

±$258

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

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

Rent vs Own

76%

Homeownership

2024

64.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 76% of the housing units in Ballard County, KY were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 79.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Ballard 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.

$66,164

Median Household Income

± $9,335

3.21k

Number of Households

± 300

In 2024, the median household income of the 3.21k households in Ballard County, KY grew to $66,164 from the previous year's value of $64,740.

The following chart displays the households in Ballard 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 Ballard 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 (87.2%)
Carpooled (7.63%)
Worked At Home (2.56%)

In 2024, 87.2% of workers in Ballard County, KY drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (7.63%) and those who worked at home (2.56%).

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

26.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Ballard County, KY have a longer commute time (26.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.9% of the workforce in Ballard County, KY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Ballard 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 Ballard County, KY distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Ballard County, KY have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 9.34% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Ballard County, KY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.06%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

15% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Ballard County, KY (1.13k out of 7.51k 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 45 - 54, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Males 25 - 34.

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

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, 22.4% of the children was living in poverty in Ballard County, KY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.1%.

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
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

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 66.4 in Ballard County, KY. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 59.3 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

95.2% of the population of Ballard County, KY has health coverage, with 45.5% on employee plans, 20.9% on Medicaid, 18.9% on Medicare, 9.58% on non-group plans, and 0.372% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Ballard County, KY see 0 patients per year on average, which represents a NaNk% change from the previous year (0 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 3825 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 3791 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.5% were men and 49.5% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

0 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Ballard County, KY

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

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.8% under 18 years, 17.7% between 18 and 34 years, 40% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.5% were men and 49.5% were women.

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

Uninsured People

4.82%

Uninsured

45.5%

Employer Coverage

20.9%

Medicaid

18.9%

Medicare

9.58%

Non-Group

0.372%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Ballard County, KY grew by 22.1% from 3.94% to 4.82%.

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