• county
  • FIPS 21009
  • Largest town: Glasgow

Barren County, Kentucky

Barren County had 45,609 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 487.4 square miles of land. It ranks 23rd of 120 in Kentucky by population and 13th by land area.

Population
45,609
#23 of 120 in Kentucky · #1,082 in US
Area
487.4 sq mi
#13 of 120 in Kentucky · #2,134 in US
Density
94 / sq mi
#36 of 120 in Kentucky · #962 in US
Median household income
$51,068
#80 of 120 in Kentucky · #2,640 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Barren County within Kentucky. Pin: Frankfort.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Barren County

Barren County population, land area and income

Barren County had 45,609 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 487.4 square miles of land. It ranks 23rd of 120 in Kentucky by population and 13th by land area. That works out to 93.6 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Kentucky has 19,740 residents, so Barren County is 2.3 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $51,068 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

45,609

3144th1st

1082nd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

487 sq mi

3144th1st

2134th of 3,144 (US)

Density

93.6 / sq mi

3144th1st

962nd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$51,068

3143rd1st

2640th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Kentucky (120)

Population

45,609

120th1st

23rd of 120 (KY)

Land area

487 sq mi

120th1st

13th of 120 (KY)

Density

93.6 / sq mi

120th1st

36th of 120 (KY)

Median household income

$51,068

120th1st

80th of 120 (KY)

How Barren County's population changed since 2020

Barren County gained 1,098 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 2.5%. That ranks 43rd of 120 in Kentucky for growth. The median Kentucky county changed by +1.4%, and the state as a whole by +1.8%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Barren County recorded 2,324 births and 2,590 deaths, a natural change of -266. Net international migration added +332 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,028. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,028 people.

44.5k202044.6k202144.9k202245.1k202345.6k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
2,324
Deaths
2,590
Net international migration
+332
Net domestic migration
+1,028
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+477

Where Barren County is

The Census internal point of Barren County is at 36.962800, -85.932100. It sits in UTM zone 16N. The map shades Kentucky's 120 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Barren County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Adair County: +1.9%Kenton County: +3.3%Owen County: +1.2%Morgan County: +4.1%Bracken County: +1.1%Edmonson County: +4.0%Trigg County: +3.4%Jackson County: +3.0%Spencer County: +6.8%Clark County: +1.7%Jessamine County: +6.6%Green County: +3.8%Henry County: +3.2%Graves County: +0.8%Webster County: -1.3%Washington County: +1.9%Ohio County: +0.8%Knott County: -5.1%Meade County: +1.4%Carroll County: +2.5%Scott County: +7.2%Lincoln County: +2.7%Greenup County: -1.7%Boyle County: +2.1%Hardin County: +1.8%Nelson County: +4.1%Hart County: +3.2%Christian County: -2.4%Carlisle County: -0.6%Crittenden County: -0.2%Elliott County: -1.0%Garrard County: +6.3%Larue County: +1.7%Lee County: -0.7%Leslie County: -7.1%Hancock County: -1.0%Lewis County: -1.6%Lyon County: +4.6%McLean County: -0.1%Magoffin County: -4.2%Martin County: -4.9%Mason County: -1.1%Rockcastle County: +1.0%Menifee County: +3.2%Russell County: +2.6%Whitley County: +1.5%Todd County: +3.9%Union County: -3.5%Wolfe County: -2.9%Bell County: -3.9%Boyd County: -0.9%Butler County: +1.9%Metcalfe County: +2.7%Grant County: +2.8%Simpson County: +3.7%Pike County: -5.2%Gallatin County: +1.5%Harlan County: -6.4%Fayette County: +2.1%Logan County: +3.5%Muhlenberg County: -1.2%Bath County: +1.8%Mercer County: +3.8%Barren County: +2.5%Franklin County: +1.6%Bullitt County: +4.2%Boone County: +5.6%Campbell County: +0.9%Jefferson County: +1.4%Wayne County: +0.4%Ballard County: -1.1%Anderson County: +4.1%Pulaski County: +2.7%Knox County: -1.7%Laurel County: +1.0%Breckinridge County: +3.8%Oldham County: +4.2%Letcher County: -6.2%Lawrence County: -3.1%McCracken County: -0.6%Nicholas County: +3.7%Owsley County: -2.6%Powell County: -1.3%Bourbon County: +0.2%Calloway County: +3.7%Henderson County: -1.1%Clinton County: -0.5%Warren County: +9.6%Montgomery County: +2.4%Floyd County: -3.5%Woodford County: +3.1%Hopkins County: -0.3%Johnson County: -2.4%Marshall County: +0.1%Estill County: -1.1%Cumberland County: +3.2%Fleming County: +3.3%Madison County: +7.1%Carter County: -1.9%Allen County: +7.1%Daviess County: +1.0%Harrison County: +4.3%Perry County: -5.7%Fulton County: -3.5%Clay County: -3.5%Robertson County: +9.1%Trimble County: +1.5%Taylor County: +3.1%Shelby County: +3.9%McCreary County: -0.2%Breathitt County: -6.5%Livingston County: -0.6%Hickman County: -3.0%Rowan County: -0.2%Casey County: +0.2%Monroe County: -1.4%Marion County: +1.3%Grayson County: +2.3%Caldwell County: -0.2%Pendleton County: +1.3%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.6%
  2. < +0.2%
  3. < +1.9%
  4. < +3.7%
  5. ≥ +3.7%
no data

Orange pin: Barren County internal point. Dark pin: Frankfort.

Internal point

Decimal
36.962800, -85.932100
DMS
36°57'46.08"N 85°55'55.56"W
UTM
16N 595065.3E 4091278.4N
Geohash
dndfk8f5u
Plus code
868PX379+45

Towns in Barren County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Barren County, 17,782 people together, or 39% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Barren County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Glasgow with 15,388.

  1. 01Glasgow15,388
  2. 02Cave City2,394
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Barren County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Barren County. The most populous is Warren County, KY, with 147,936 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Frankfort and the nearest big city

Frankfort is 102.5 miles NE of Barren County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Nashville-Davidson, TN (population 704,963), 72.3 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Glasgow, KY (population 15,388), 2.9 miles away.

Barren County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Barren County is 21009: state code 21 for Kentucky plus county code 009. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $51,068.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Barren County, Kentucky?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 45,609. That is up 1,098 people (2.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 44,511.

What is the FIPS code of Barren County?

21009. The first two digits (21) are Kentucky; the last three (009) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Barren County?

Glasgow, with 15,388 residents inside Barren County in 2024.

Which counties border Barren County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Warren County, KY; Allen County, KY; Hart County, KY; Edmonson County, KY; Monroe County, KY; Metcalfe County, KY.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.