Nelson County, KY

County

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2023 Population

47,102

0.69% 1-year growth

US Senator

Mitch McConnell

Republican Party

US Senator

Rand Paul

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

39.7

0.501% 1-year decrease

2023 Poverty Rate

9.71%

10.7% 1-year increase

2023 Median Household Income

$67,888

2.53% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$224,100

9.85% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

22,347

0.534% 1-year decline

About

In 2023, Nelson County, KY had a population of 47.1k people with a median age of 39.7 and a median household income of $67,888. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Nelson County, KY grew from 46,779 to 47,102, a 0.69% increase and its median household income grew from $66,212 to $67,888, a 2.53% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Nelson County, KY are White (Non-Hispanic) (89.5%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (5.1%), Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) (1.92%), White (Hispanic) (1.27%), and Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) (0.505%).

None of the households in Nelson 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.

98.6% of the residents in Nelson County, KY are U.S. citizens.

In 2023, the median property value in Nelson County, KY was $224,100, and the homeownership rate was 77.3%.

Most people in Nelson County, KY drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 25.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Nelson County, KY was 2 cars per household.

Nelson County, KY borders Anderson County, KY, Bullitt County, KY, Hardin County, KY, Larue County, KY, Marion County, KY, Spencer County, KY, and Washington County, KY.

United States Kentucky Bardstown, KY

Population & Diversity

Nelson County, KY is home to a population of 47.1k people, from which 98.6% are citizens. As of 2023, 1.94% of Nelson County, KY residents were born outside of the country (913 people).

In 2023, there were 17.6 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (42.2k people) in Nelson County, KY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.4k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 905 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.6%

2023 Citizenship

98.9%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 98.6% of Nelson County, KY residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Nelson County, KY was 98.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Nelson County, KY

White (Non-Hispanic)
42.2k ± 109
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
2.4k ± 243
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
905 ± 284

2.71%

Hispanic Population

1.28k people

2.71% of the people in Nelson County, KY are hispanic (1.28k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Nelson 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
34,091 ± 4,516 people
Cuba
20,475 ± 3,505 people
India
12,629 ± 2,755 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Kentucky was Mexico, the natal country of 34,091 Kentucky residents, followed by Cuba with 20,475 and India with 12,629.

Foreign-Born Population

1.94%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

913 people

1.63%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

762 people

As of 2023, 1.94% of Nelson County, KY residents (913 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Nelson County, KY was 1.63%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
990 ± 198
Gulf War (2001-)
600 ± 175
Gulf War (1990s)
503 ± 194

Nelson County, KY has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.65 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Nelson County, KY employs 22.3k people. In 2023, the largest industries in Nelson County, KY were Manufacturing (5,114 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (3,622 people), and Retail Trade (2,592 people), and the highest paying industries were Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($116,739), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($73,676), and Utilities ($60,476).

Employment

Occupations

22.3k

2023 Value

± 1,171

−0.534%

1 Year decline

± 7.4%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Nelson County, KY declined at a rate of −0.534%, from 22.5k employees to 22.3k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Nelson County, KY, are Production Occupations (3,029 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,323 people), and Management Occupations (1,993 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Nelson 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

22.3k

2023 Value

± 1,171

−0.534%

1 Year decline

± 7.4%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Nelson County, KY declined at a rate of −0.534%, from 22.5k employees to 22.3k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Nelson County, KY, are Manufacturing (5,114 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (3,622 people), and Retail Trade (2,592 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Nelson County, KY, though some of these residents may live in Nelson County, KY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$51,488

Median earning men ± $3,607

$37,144

Median earning women ± $3,516

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($80,625), Manufacturing ($59,701), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($58,750).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Information ($54,375), Construction ($46,964), and Manufacturing ($46,363).

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

91
Construction
73
Retail Trade
66
Health Care and Social Assistance

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

$394k
Manufacturing
$97.1k
Construction
$81k
Health Care and Social Assistance

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 Nelson 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.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Kentucky

Kentucky is currently represented by 6 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Kentucky have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

Completions

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.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In 2023, 0.875% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.806% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

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

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2023 were High School or Equivalent (1.17M), Some college (753k), and Secondary Education (541k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Nelson County, KY was $224,100 in 2023, which is 0.739 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $204,000 to $224,100, a 9.85% increase. The homeownership rate in Nelson County, KY is 77.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65%.

People in Nelson County, KY have an average commute time of 25.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Nelson County, KY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Nelson County, KY is $67,888. In 2023, the tract with the highest Median Household Income in Nelson County, KY was Census Tract 9305, Nelson County, KY with a value of $79,441, followed by Census Tract 9307, Nelson County, KY and Census Tract 9303.01, Nelson County, KY, with respective values of $75,179 and $71,250.

In 2024, 9.06% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Nelson County, KY. From 2014 to 2024, the indicator declined 1.74%.

Housing

Property

$224,100

Median Property Value 2023

±$9,276

$14,517

Median Property Taxes

±$886

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 Nelson County, KY the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

77.3%

Homeownership

2023

67%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 77.3% of the housing units in Nelson County, KY were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 76.5%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 9305, Nelson County, KY
Census Tract 9307, Nelson County, KY
Census Tract 9303.01, Nelson County, KY

In 2023, the tract with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Nelson County, KY was Census Tract 9305, Nelson County, KY with a value of $79,441, followed by Census Tract 9307, Nelson County, KY and Census Tract 9303.01, Nelson County, KY, with respective values of $75,179 and $71,250.

The following map shows all of the tracts in Nelson County, KY colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

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

$67,888

Median Household Income

± $2,740

18.8k

Number of Households

± 1,060

In 2023, the median household income of the 18.8k households in Nelson County, KY grew to $67,888 from the previous year's value of $66,212.

The following chart displays the households in Nelson 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 Nelson County, KY is from Kentucky.

0.449

2023 Wage GINI in Kentucky

0.452

2022 Wage GINI in Kentucky

In 2023, the income inequality in Kentucky was 0.449 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.729% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Kentucky was lower than than the national average of 0.476. 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 2023

Drove Alone (84.6%)
Carpooled (6.86%)
Worked At Home (5.4%)

In 2023, 84.6% of workers in Nelson County, KY drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (6.86%) and those who worked at home (5.4%).

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

25.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Nelson County, KY have a shorter commute time (25.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 1.22% of the workforce in Nelson County, KY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2024, 9.06% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Nelson County, KY. From 2014 to 2024, the indicator declined 1.74%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

9.71% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Nelson County, KY (4.51k out of 46.5k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 6 - 11, followed by Males 55 - 64 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Nelson County, KY is White, followed by Hispanic 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.

Children in Poverty

In 2024, 14.7% of the children was living in poverty in Nelson County, KY. From 2014 to 2024, the indicator declined 9%.

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 108 in Nelson County, KY. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 13.3 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

94.9% of the population of Nelson County, KY has health coverage, with 51.3% on employee plans, 18.5% on Medicaid, 13.5% on Medicare, 10.4% on non-group plans, and 1.19% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Nelson County, KY see 1,884 patients per year on average, which represents a 5.43% increase from the previous year (1,787 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1755 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 658 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.9% were men and 50.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,884 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Nelson County, KY

Primary care physicians in Nelson County, KY see an average of 1,884 patients per year. This represents a 5.43% increase from the previous year (1,787 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.7% under 18 years, 19.6% between 18 and 34 years, 39.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 16.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.9% were men and 50.1% were women.

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

Uninsured People

5.08%

Uninsured

51.3%

Employer Coverage

18.5%

Medicaid

13.5%

Medicare

10.4%

Non-Group

1.19%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Nelson County, KY declined by 5.52% from 5.37% to 5.08%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2024, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 38.1 in Nelson County, KY.

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

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2024, 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 36.4% in Nelson County, KY.

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