• county
  • FIPS 21073
  • Largest town: Frankfort

Franklin County, Kentucky

Franklin County had 52,442 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 207.9 square miles of land. It ranks 19th of 120 in Kentucky by population and 97th by land area.

Population
52,442
#19 of 120 in Kentucky · #977 in US
Area
207.9 sq mi
#97 of 120 in Kentucky · #2,988 in US
Density
252 / sq mi
#12 of 120 in Kentucky · #495 in US
Median household income
$66,920
#20 of 120 in Kentucky · #1,217 in US

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

Franklin County within Kentucky. Pin: Frankfort.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Franklin County

Franklin County population, land area and income

Franklin County had 52,442 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 207.9 square miles of land. It ranks 19th of 120 in Kentucky by population and 97th by land area. That works out to 252.2 people per square mile, 2.6 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Kentucky has 19,740 residents, so Franklin County is 2.7 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $66,920 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

52,442

3144th1st

977th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

208 sq mi

3144th1st

2988th of 3,144 (US)

Density

252.2 / sq mi

3144th1st

495th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$66,920

3143rd1st

1217th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Kentucky (120)

Population

52,442

120th1st

19th of 120 (KY)

Land area

208 sq mi

120th1st

97th of 120 (KY)

Density

252.2 / sq mi

120th1st

12th of 120 (KY)

Median household income

$66,920

120th1st

20th of 120 (KY)

How Franklin County's population changed since 2020

Franklin County gained 839 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.6%. That ranks 55th 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, Franklin County recorded 2,153 births and 3,034 deaths, a natural change of -881. Net international migration added +689 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,093. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,093 people.

51.6k202051.7k202151.6k202251.8k202352.4k2024
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
2,153
Deaths
3,034
Net international migration
+689
Net domestic migration
+1,093
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+616

Where Franklin County is

The Census internal point of Franklin County is at 38.234900, -84.868800. 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 Franklin 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: Franklin County internal point. Dark pin: Frankfort.

Internal point

Decimal
38.234900, -84.868800
DMS
38°14'5.64"N 84°52'7.68"W
UTM
16N 686525.4E 4234025.7N
Geohash
dng9sb2qm
Plus code
86CQ64MJ+XF

Towns in Franklin County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Franklin County, 28,610 people together, or 55% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Franklin County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Frankfort with 28,610.

  1. 01Frankfort28,610
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Franklin County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Franklin County. The most populous is Scott County, KY, with 61,700 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Frankfort and the nearest big city

Frankfort is 3.3 miles S of Franklin County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Lexington-Fayette, KY (population 329,437), 26.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Frankfort, KY (population 28,610), 2.7 miles away.

Franklin County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Franklin County is 21073: state code 21 for Kentucky plus county code 073. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $66,920.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Franklin County, Kentucky?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 52,442. That is up 839 people (1.6%) from the July 2020 estimate of 51,603.

What is the FIPS code of Franklin County?

21073. The first two digits (21) are Kentucky; the last three (073) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Franklin County?

Frankfort, with 28,610 residents inside Franklin County in 2024.

Which counties border Franklin County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Scott County, KY; Shelby County, KY; Woodford County, KY; Anderson County, KY; Henry County, KY; Owen 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.