• county
  • FIPS 21167
  • Largest town: Harrodsburg

Mercer County, Kentucky

Mercer County had 23,515 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 249.4 square miles of land. It ranks 50th of 120 in Kentucky by population and 84th by land area.

Population
23,515
#50 of 120 in Kentucky · #1,663 in US
Area
249.4 sq mi
#84 of 120 in Kentucky · #2,914 in US
Density
94 / sq mi
#35 of 120 in Kentucky · #956 in US
Median household income
$67,348
#18 of 120 in Kentucky · #1,176 in US

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

Mercer County within Kentucky. Pin: Frankfort.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Mercer County

Mercer County population, land area and income

Mercer County had 23,515 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 249.4 square miles of land. It ranks 50th of 120 in Kentucky by population and 84th by land area. That works out to 94.3 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

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

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $67,348 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

23,515

3144th1st

1663rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

249 sq mi

3144th1st

2914th of 3,144 (US)

Density

94.3 / sq mi

3144th1st

956th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$67,348

3143rd1st

1176th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Kentucky (120)

Population

23,515

120th1st

50th of 120 (KY)

Land area

249 sq mi

120th1st

84th of 120 (KY)

Density

94.3 / sq mi

120th1st

35th of 120 (KY)

Median household income

$67,348

120th1st

18th of 120 (KY)

How Mercer County's population changed since 2020

Mercer County gained 863 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 3.8%. That ranks 20th 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, Mercer County recorded 1,071 births and 1,426 deaths, a natural change of -355. Net international migration added +95 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,119. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,119 people.

22.7k202022.9k202122.9k202223.2k202323.5k2024
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
1,071
Deaths
1,426
Net international migration
+95
Net domestic migration
+1,119
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+326

Where Mercer County is

The Census internal point of Mercer County is at 37.812100, -84.879700. 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 Mercer 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: Mercer County internal point. Dark pin: Frankfort.

Internal point

Decimal
37.812100, -84.879700
DMS
37°48'43.56"N 84°52'46.92"W
UTM
16N 686641.3E 4187085.2N
Geohash
dnexhe2rr
Plus code
869QR46C+R4

Towns in Mercer County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Mercer County, 10,508 people together, or 45% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Mercer County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Harrodsburg with 9,491.

  1. 01Harrodsburg9,491
  2. 02Burgin1,017
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Mercer County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Mercer County. The most populous is Jessamine County, KY, with 56,495 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Frankfort and the nearest big city

Frankfort is 25.9 miles N of Mercer County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Lexington-Fayette, KY (population 329,437), 27.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Danville, KY (population 17,562), 13.2 miles away.

Mercer County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Mercer County is 21167: state code 21 for Kentucky plus county code 167. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $67,348.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Mercer County, Kentucky?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 23,515. That is up 863 people (3.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 22,652.

What is the FIPS code of Mercer County?

21167. The first two digits (21) are Kentucky; the last three (167) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Mercer County?

Harrodsburg, with 9,491 residents inside Mercer County in 2024.

Which counties border Mercer County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Jessamine County, KY; Boyle County, KY; Woodford County, KY; Anderson County, KY; Garrard County, KY; Washington 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.