• county
  • FIPS 21019
  • Largest town: Ashland

Boyd County, Kentucky

Boyd County had 47,777 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 159.9 square miles of land. It ranks 22nd of 120 in Kentucky by population and 115th by land area.

Population
47,777
#22 of 120 in Kentucky · #1,039 in US
Area
159.9 sq mi
#115 of 120 in Kentucky · #3,053 in US
Density
299 / sq mi
#8 of 120 in Kentucky · #436 in US
Median household income
$57,112
#54 of 120 in Kentucky · #2,118 in US

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

Boyd County within Kentucky. Pin: Frankfort.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Boyd County

Boyd County population, land area and income

Boyd County had 47,777 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 159.9 square miles of land. It ranks 22nd of 120 in Kentucky by population and 115th by land area. That works out to 298.8 people per square mile, 3.1 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Kentucky has 19,740 residents, so Boyd County is 2.4 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $57,112 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

47,777

3144th1st

1039th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

160 sq mi

3144th1st

3053rd of 3,144 (US)

Density

298.8 / sq mi

3144th1st

436th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$57,112

3143rd1st

2118th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Kentucky (120)

Population

47,777

120th1st

22nd of 120 (KY)

Land area

160 sq mi

120th1st

115th of 120 (KY)

Density

298.8 / sq mi

120th1st

8th of 120 (KY)

Median household income

$57,112

120th1st

54th of 120 (KY)

How Boyd County's population changed since 2020

Boyd County lost 429 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 0.9%. That ranks 86th 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, Boyd County recorded 1,980 births and 3,279 deaths, a natural change of -1,299. Net international migration added +77 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +709. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 1,299 people.

48.2k202047.8k202148.0k202247.8k202347.8k2024
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
1,980
Deaths
3,279
Net international migration
+77
Net domestic migration
+709
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+6

Where Boyd County is

The Census internal point of Boyd County is at 38.360000, -82.681400. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades Kentucky's 120 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Boyd 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: Boyd County internal point. Dark pin: Frankfort.

Internal point

Decimal
38.360000, -82.681400
DMS
38°21'36.00"N 82°40'53.04"W
UTM
17N 353097.2E 4247096.9N
Geohash
dnv4nx1pp
Plus code
86CV9869+2C

Towns in Boyd County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Boyd County, 22,791 people together, or 48% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Boyd County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Ashland with 21,066.

  1. 01Ashland21,066
  2. 02Catlettsburg1,725
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Boyd County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Boyd County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Lawrence County, OH, with 55,829 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Frankfort and the nearest big city

Frankfort is 119.6 miles W of Boyd County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Lexington-Fayette, KY (population 329,437), 99.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Ashland, KY (population 21,066), 7.1 miles away.

Boyd County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Boyd County is 21019: state code 21 for Kentucky plus county code 019. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $57,112.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Boyd County, Kentucky?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 47,777. That is down 429 people (0.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 48,206.

What is the FIPS code of Boyd County?

21019. The first two digits (21) are Kentucky; the last three (019) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Boyd County?

Ashland, with 21,066 residents inside Boyd County in 2024.

Which counties border Boyd County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Lawrence County, OH; Wayne County, WV; Greenup County, KY; Carter County, KY; Lawrence 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.