• county
  • FIPS 21083
  • Largest town: Mayfield

Graves County, Kentucky

Graves County had 36,821 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 551.8 square miles of land. It ranks 29th of 120 in Kentucky by population and 8th by land area.

Population
36,821
#29 of 120 in Kentucky · #1,268 in US
Area
551.8 sq mi
#8 of 120 in Kentucky · #1,893 in US
Density
67 / sq mi
#54 of 120 in Kentucky · #1,217 in US
Median household income
$53,947
#69 of 120 in Kentucky · #2,410 in US

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

Graves County within Kentucky. Pin: Frankfort.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Graves County

Graves County population, land area and income

Graves County had 36,821 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 551.8 square miles of land. It ranks 29th of 120 in Kentucky by population and 8th by land area. That works out to 66.7 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; Graves County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $53,947 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

36,821

3144th1st

1268th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

552 sq mi

3144th1st

1893rd of 3,144 (US)

Density

66.7 / sq mi

3144th1st

1217th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$53,947

3143rd1st

2410th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Kentucky (120)

Population

36,821

120th1st

29th of 120 (KY)

Land area

552 sq mi

120th1st

8th of 120 (KY)

Density

66.7 / sq mi

120th1st

54th of 120 (KY)

Median household income

$53,947

120th1st

69th of 120 (KY)

How Graves County's population changed since 2020

Graves County gained 291 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 0.8%. That ranks 69th 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, Graves County recorded 1,918 births and 2,239 deaths, a natural change of -321. Net international migration added +333 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +168. The largest single component was international migration, which added 333 people.

36.5k202036.7k202136.5k202236.6k202336.8k2024
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
1,918
Deaths
2,239
Net international migration
+333
Net domestic migration
+168
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+221

Where Graves County is

The Census internal point of Graves County is at 36.723300, -88.649900. 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 Graves 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: Graves County internal point. Dark pin: Frankfort.

Internal point

Decimal
36.723300, -88.649900
DMS
36°43'23.88"N 88°38'59.64"W
UTM
16N 352662.3E 4065446.5N
Geohash
dn8bytr0e
Plus code
868HP9F2+82

Towns in Graves County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Graves County, 9,805 people together, or 27% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Graves County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Mayfield with 9,805.

  1. 01Mayfield9,805
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Graves County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Graves County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is McCracken County, KY, with 67,550 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Frankfort and the nearest big city

Frankfort is 230.4 miles ENE of Graves County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Clarksville, TN (population 185,690), 73.1 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Murray, KY (population 18,567), 19.7 miles away.

Graves County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Graves County is 21083: state code 21 for Kentucky plus county code 083. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $53,947.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Graves County, Kentucky?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 36,821. That is up 291 people (0.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 36,530.

What is the FIPS code of Graves County?

21083. The first two digits (21) are Kentucky; the last three (083) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Graves County?

Mayfield, with 9,805 residents inside Graves County in 2024.

Which counties border Graves County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: McCracken County, KY; Calloway County, KY; Weakley County, TN; Henry County, TN; Marshall County, KY; Carlisle County, KY; Hickman 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.