Kentucky · 79 places of 5,000+

Largest cities in Kentucky by population

Short answer

Louisville/Jefferson County is the largest city in Kentucky with 640,796 residents in 2024, followed by Lexington-Fayette (329,437) and Bowling Green (79,076).
Largest
640,796
Places 5,000+
79
100,000+
2

The 20 largest

Louisville/Jefferson County leads with 640,796 residents, 1.9 times the 329,437 of second-place Lexington-Fayette. The ten largest places hold 1,333,480 people, 29% of the state's 4,588,372. 2 places have 100,000 or more.

The median place of 5,000+ is La Grange at 10,541. Within the top ten, Richmond grew most since July 2020 (+12.1%) and Owensboro least (+0.6%). 2 of the 79 places cross a county line; their totals include every county part.

  1. 01Louisville/Jefferson County640,796
  2. 02Lexington-Fayette329,437
  3. 03Bowling Green79,076
  4. 04Owensboro60,675
  5. 05Covington41,611
  6. 06Georgetown40,518
  7. 07Richmond39,581
  8. 08Elizabethtown34,565
  9. 09Florence33,763
  10. 10Nicholasville33,458
  11. 11Hopkinsville30,800
  12. 12Independence30,196
  13. 13Jeffersontown29,388
  14. 14Frankfort28,610
  15. 15Henderson27,750
  16. 16Paducah26,712
  17. 17Radcliff22,706
  18. 18Ashland21,066
  19. 19Erlanger20,172
  20. 20Madisonville19,502
July 1, 2024 population, Census Vintage 2024.

Dots: the 20 places in the chart. Orange pin: Louisville/Jefferson County, ranked first.

All 79 places of 5,000+ ranked

#Place2024Since 2020County
1Louisville/Jefferson County640,796+1.4%Jefferson County
2Lexington-Fayette329,437+2.1%Fayette County
3Bowling Green79,076+9.1%Warren County
4Owensboro60,675+0.6%Daviess County
5Covington41,611+1.6%Kenton County
6Georgetown40,518+7.2%Scott County
7Richmond39,581+12.1%Madison County
8Elizabethtown34,565+10.0%Hardin County
9Florence33,763+5.2%Boone County
10Nicholasville33,458+7.5%Jessamine County
11Hopkinsville30,800-1.2%Christian County
12Independence30,196+4.9%Kenton County
13Jeffersontown29,388+0.4%Jefferson County
14Frankfort28,610-0.0%Franklin County
15Henderson27,750-1.4%Henderson County
16Paducah26,712-1.6%McCracken County
17Radcliff22,706-1.4%Hardin County
18Ashland21,066-2.4%Boyd County
19Erlanger20,172+2.5%Kenton County
20Madisonville19,502-0.7%Hopkins County
21Winchester19,413+1.2%Clark County
22Mount Washington18,863+4.1%Bullitt County
23Murray18,567+4.4%Calloway County
24Shelbyville18,048+4.0%Shelby County
25St. Matthews17,806+1.4%Jefferson County
26Danville17,562+1.4%Boyle County
27Fort Thomas16,914-2.9%Campbell County
28Berea16,436+5.4%Madison County
29Shively15,850+1.3%Jefferson County
30Glasgow15,388+2.5%Barren County
31Shepherdsville14,837+4.2%Bullitt County
32Bardstown14,104+3.8%Nelson County
33Newport13,792-2.5%Campbell County
34Somerset12,389+3.4%Pulaski County
35Lawrenceburg12,189+3.9%Anderson County
36Campbellsville11,820+3.4%Taylor County
37Lyndon11,221+2.0%Jefferson County
38Alexandria10,819+4.3%Campbell County
39Versailles10,656+2.9%Woodford County
40La Grange10,541+4.7%Oldham County
41Franklin10,524+3.1%Simpson County
42Paris10,185-0.1%Bourbon County
43Middletown9,908+2.0%Jefferson County
44Mayfield9,805-1.7%Graves County
45Harrodsburg9,491+3.5%Mercer County
46Elsmere9,337+1.8%Kenton County
47Hillview8,962+3.6%Bullitt County
48Middlesborough8,899-4.8%Bell County
49Fort Mitchell8,766+0.7%Kenton County
50Maysville8,711-1.6%Mason County
51Edgewood8,526+1.0%Kenton County
52Oak Grove7,973+0.5%Christian County
53Corbin7,891+0.9%Whitley County +1
54Union7,874+5.7%Boone County
55Villa Hills7,763+6.2%Kenton County
56Mount Sterling7,588+0.7%Montgomery County
57London7,573-0.0%Laurel County
58Russellville7,431+3.3%Logan County
59Pikeville7,366-4.7%Pike County
60Flatwoods7,250-0.7%Greenup County
61Taylor Mill7,116+3.4%Kenton County
62Vine Grove6,933+4.9%Hardin County
63Leitchfield6,895+1.7%Grayson County
64Morehead6,789-5.1%Rowan County
65Lebanon6,558+4.2%Marion County
66Cynthiana6,557+3.4%Harrison County
67Cold Spring6,499+4.4%Campbell County
68Crestwood6,493+4.8%Oldham County
69Highland Heights6,292-5.5%Campbell County
70Wilmore6,268+4.4%Jessamine County
71Princeton6,223-0.6%Caldwell County
72Fort Wright6,096+5.1%Kenton County
73Dayton5,854+3.4%Campbell County
74Walton5,803+5.4%Boone County +1
75Central City5,744-1.3%Muhlenberg County
76Bellevue5,738+3.4%Campbell County
77Monticello5,726-0.5%Wayne County
78Douglass Hills5,558+1.8%Jefferson County
79Williamsburg5,332+0.1%Whitley County
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates. Counties from the SUMLEV 157 county parts.

Questions people ask

What is the largest city in Kentucky?

Louisville/Jefferson County, with 640,796 residents on July 1, 2024 in the Census Vintage 2024 estimates.

What is the second largest city in Kentucky?

Lexington-Fayette, with 329,437 residents, 311,359 fewer than Louisville/Jefferson County.

How many cities in Kentucky have more than 100,000 people?

2: Louisville/Jefferson County, Lexington-Fayette.

How is city size measured here?

By the Census Bureau's July 1, 2024 population estimate for each incorporated place, inside its legal city limits. Metro areas and census-designated places are not ranked.

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 subcounty population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, places

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