Somerset, KY

Census Place

2024 Population

12,216

US Senator

Mitch McConnell

Republican Party

US Senator

Rand Paul

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

39.8

1.79% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

27.2%

5.29% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$34,704

5.45% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$144,000

2.2% 1-year growth

Population & Diversity

Somerset, KY is home to a population of 12.2k people, from which 99.4% are citizens.

As of 2024, 1.9% of Somerset, KY residents were born outside of the country (232 people).

In 2024, there were 22 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (10.5k people) in Somerset, KY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 476 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 403 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.4%

2024 Citizenship

96.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.4% of Somerset, KY residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Somerset, KY was 96.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Somerset, KY

White (Non-Hispanic)
10.5k ± 353
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
476 ± 200
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
403 ± 121

5.91%

Hispanic Population

722 people

5.91% of the people in Somerset, KY are hispanic (722 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Somerset, 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

1.9%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

232 people

3.2%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

388 people

As of 2024, 1.9% of Somerset, KY residents (232 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 Somerset, KY was 3.2%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
133 ± 87
Gulf War (1990s)
119 ± 92
Gulf War (2001-)
84 ± 100

Somerset, KY has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.12 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Somerset, KY employs 4.45k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Somerset, KY were Health Care & Social Assistance (768 people), Manufacturing (542 people), and Retail Trade (537 people), and the highest paying industries were Wholesale Trade ($170,588), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($148,600), and Public Administration ($60,688).

Employment

Occupations

4.45k

2024 Value

± 551

−1.59%

1 Year decline

± 17.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Somerset, KY declined at a rate of −1.59%, from 4.52k employees to 4.45k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Somerset, KY, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (549 people), Sales & Related Occupations (396 people), and Management Occupations (396 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Somerset, 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

4.45k

2024 Value

± 551

−1.59%

1 Year decline

± 17.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Somerset, KY declined at a rate of −1.59%, from 4.52k employees to 4.45k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Somerset, KY, are Health Care & Social Assistance (768 people), Manufacturing (542 people), and Retail Trade (537 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Somerset, KY, though some of these residents may live in Somerset, KY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$38,750

Median earning men ± $8,505

$28,165

Median earning women ± $7,231

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($170,588), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($148,600), and Public Administration ($60,929).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($55,400), Public Administration ($53,214), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($52,500).

Education

The student population of Somerset, KY in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 2,360 male students and 3,795 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Somerset, KY are White (3,244 and 94.9%), Hispanic or Latino (71 and 2.08%), Two or More Races (61 and 1.79%), and Asian (15 and 0.439%).

The largest universities in Somerset, KY by number of degrees awarded are Somerset Community College (3,417 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Somerset, KY are Electrician (379 and 11.1%), Liberal Arts & Sciences (324 and 9.48%), and General Business Administration & Management (287 and 8.4%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 6,155 students enrolled in Somerset, KY, 38.3% men and 61.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 5,520 records, of which 61.8% were women and 38.2% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
235 degrees awarded
Electrician
233 degrees awarded
Diesel Mechanics Technology
190 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years recipients in Somerset, KY was General Business Administration & Management with 235 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years from schools in Somerset, KY according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Somerset Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

3,417 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Somerset Community College with 3,417 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 1,961 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Somerset, KY, which is 1.35 times more than the 1,456 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 3,244 degrees mean that there were 45.7 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, 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 Somerset, KY was $144,000 in 2024, which is 0.433 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $140,900 to $144,000, a 2.2% increase. The homeownership rate in Somerset, KY is 48.9%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Somerset, KY have an average commute time of 23.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Somerset, KY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$144,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$18,179

$2,419

Median Property Taxes

±$423

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

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

Rent vs Own

48.9%

Homeownership

2024

57.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 48.9% of the housing units in Somerset, KY were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 42.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Somerset, 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.

$34,704

Median Household Income

± $4,325

4.95k

Number of Households

± 602

In 2024, the median household income of the 4.95k households in Somerset, KY grew to $34,704 from the previous year's value of $32,910.

The following chart displays the households in Somerset, 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 < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Somerset, 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 (71.4%)
Carpooled (16.1%)
Worked At Home (8.7%)

In 2024, 71.4% of workers in Somerset, KY drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (16.1%) and those who worked at home (8.7%).

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

23.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Somerset, KY have a shorter commute time (23.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 4.43% of the workforce in Somerset, KY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

27.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Somerset, KY (3.01k out of 11.1k 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 75+, followed by Males 35 - 44 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Somerset, 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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