• county
  • FIPS 21125
  • Largest town: London

Laurel County, Kentucky

Laurel County had 63,353 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 433.7 square miles of land. It ranks 15th of 120 in Kentucky by population and 25th by land area.

Population
63,353
#15 of 120 in Kentucky · #860 in US
Area
433.7 sq mi
#25 of 120 in Kentucky · #2,340 in US
Density
146 / sq mi
#20 of 120 in Kentucky · #708 in US
Median household income
$52,093
#75 of 120 in Kentucky · #2,547 in US

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

Laurel County within Kentucky. Pin: Frankfort.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Laurel County

Laurel County population, land area and income

Laurel County had 63,353 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 433.7 square miles of land. It ranks 15th of 120 in Kentucky by population and 25th by land area. That works out to 146.1 people per square mile, 1.5 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Kentucky has 19,740 residents, so Laurel County is 3.2 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $52,093 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

63,353

3144th1st

860th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

434 sq mi

3144th1st

2340th of 3,144 (US)

Density

146.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

708th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$52,093

3143rd1st

2547th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Kentucky (120)

Population

63,353

120th1st

15th of 120 (KY)

Land area

434 sq mi

120th1st

25th of 120 (KY)

Density

146.1 / sq mi

120th1st

20th of 120 (KY)

Median household income

$52,093

120th1st

75th of 120 (KY)

How Laurel County's population changed since 2020

Laurel County gained 618 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.0%. That ranks 67th 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, Laurel County recorded 2,991 births and 3,563 deaths, a natural change of -572. Net international migration added +122 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,134. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,134 people.

62.7k202062.6k202162.9k202263.4k202363.4k2024
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
2,991
Deaths
3,563
Net international migration
+122
Net domestic migration
+1,134
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+1

Where Laurel County is

The Census internal point of Laurel County is at 37.113300, -84.119400. 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 Laurel 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: Laurel County internal point. Dark pin: Frankfort.

Internal point

Decimal
37.113300, -84.119400
DMS
37°06'47.88"N 84°07'9.84"W
UTM
16N 755953.2E 4111325.4N
Geohash
dns5ju60e
Plus code
869Q4V7J+86

Towns in Laurel County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Laurel County, 7,573 people together, or 12% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Laurel County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is London with 7,573.

  1. 01London7,573
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Laurel County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Laurel County. The most populous is Pulaski County, KY, with 66,842 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Frankfort and the nearest big city

Frankfort is 84.9 miles NNW of Laurel County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Lexington-Fayette, KY (population 329,437), 66.7 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Somerset, KY (population 12,389), 26.8 miles away.

Laurel County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Laurel County is 21125: state code 21 for Kentucky plus county code 125. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $52,093.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Laurel County, Kentucky?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 63,353. That is up 618 people (1.0%) from the July 2020 estimate of 62,735.

What is the FIPS code of Laurel County?

21125. The first two digits (21) are Kentucky; the last three (125) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Laurel County?

London, with 7,573 residents inside Laurel County in 2024.

Which counties border Laurel County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Pulaski County, KY; Whitley County, KY; Knox County, KY; Clay County, KY; McCreary County, KY; Rockcastle County, KY; Jackson 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.