• county
  • FIPS 21043
  • Largest town: Grayson

Carter County, Kentucky

Carter County had 26,098 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 409.5 square miles of land. It ranks 43rd of 120 in Kentucky by population and 31st by land area.

Population
26,098
#43 of 120 in Kentucky · #1,575 in US
Area
409.5 sq mi
#31 of 120 in Kentucky · #2,465 in US
Density
64 / sq mi
#58 of 120 in Kentucky · #1,256 in US
Median household income
$50,853
#81 of 120 in Kentucky · #2,658 in US

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

Carter County within Kentucky. Pin: Frankfort.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Carter County

Carter County population, land area and income

Carter County had 26,098 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 409.5 square miles of land. It ranks 43rd of 120 in Kentucky by population and 31st by land area. That works out to 63.7 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Kentucky has 19,740 residents; Carter County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $50,853 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

26,098

3144th1st

1575th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

410 sq mi

3144th1st

2465th of 3,144 (US)

Density

63.7 / sq mi

3144th1st

1256th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$50,853

3143rd1st

2658th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Kentucky (120)

Population

26,098

120th1st

43rd of 120 (KY)

Land area

410 sq mi

120th1st

31st of 120 (KY)

Density

63.7 / sq mi

120th1st

58th of 120 (KY)

Median household income

$50,853

120th1st

81st of 120 (KY)

How Carter County's population changed since 2020

Carter County lost 516 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.9%. That ranks 100th 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, Carter County recorded 1,123 births and 1,894 deaths, a natural change of -771. Net international migration added -2 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +238. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 771 people.

26.6k202026.4k202126.3k202226.3k202326.1k2024
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
1,123
Deaths
1,894
Net international migration
-2
Net domestic migration
+238
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-157

Where Carter County is

The Census internal point of Carter County is at 38.314100, -83.039000. 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 Carter 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: Carter County internal point. Dark pin: Frankfort.

Internal point

Decimal
38.314100, -83.039000
DMS
38°18'50.76"N 83°02'20.40"W
UTM
17N 321738.7E 4242633.0N
Geohash
dnucyqugg
Plus code
86CR8X76+JC

Towns in Carter County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Carter County, 5,235 people together, or 20% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Carter County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Grayson with 3,702.

  1. 01Grayson3,702
  2. 02Olive Hill1,533
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Carter County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Carter County. The most populous is Boyd County, KY, with 47,777 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Frankfort and the nearest big city

Frankfort is 100.0 miles W of Carter County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Lexington-Fayette, KY (population 329,437), 79.3 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Ashland, KY (population 21,066), 23.5 miles away.

Carter County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Carter County is 21043: state code 21 for Kentucky plus county code 043. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $50,853.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Carter County, Kentucky?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 26,098. That is down 516 people (1.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 26,614.

What is the FIPS code of Carter County?

21043. The first two digits (21) are Kentucky; the last three (043) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Carter County?

Grayson, with 3,702 residents inside Carter County in 2024.

Which counties border Carter County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Boyd County, KY; Greenup County, KY; Rowan County, KY; Lawrence County, KY; Lewis County, KY; Elliott 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.