• county
  • FIPS 21197
  • Largest town: Stanton

Powell County, Kentucky

Powell County had 12,928 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 179.0 square miles of land. It ranks 83rd of 120 in Kentucky by population and 112th by land area.

Population
12,928
#83 of 120 in Kentucky · #2,224 in US
Area
179.0 sq mi
#112 of 120 in Kentucky · #3,030 in US
Density
72 / sq mi
#50 of 120 in Kentucky · #1,155 in US
Median household income
$46,014
#89 of 120 in Kentucky · #2,934 in US

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

Powell County within Kentucky. Pin: Frankfort.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Powell County

Powell County population, land area and income

Powell County had 12,928 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 179.0 square miles of land. It ranks 83rd of 120 in Kentucky by population and 112th by land area. That works out to 72.2 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; Powell County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $46,014 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

12,928

3144th1st

2224th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

179 sq mi

3144th1st

3030th of 3,144 (US)

Density

72.2 / sq mi

3144th1st

1155th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$46,014

3143rd1st

2934th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Kentucky (120)

Population

12,928

120th1st

83rd of 120 (KY)

Land area

179 sq mi

120th1st

112th of 120 (KY)

Density

72.2 / sq mi

120th1st

50th of 120 (KY)

Median household income

$46,014

120th1st

89th of 120 (KY)

How Powell County's population changed since 2020

Powell County lost 171 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.3%. That ranks 95th 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, Powell County recorded 703 births and 892 deaths, a natural change of -189. Net international migration added -2 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -12. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 189 people.

13.1k202013.1k202113.1k202213.0k202312.9k2024
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
703
Deaths
892
Net international migration
-2
Net domestic migration
-12
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-75

Where Powell County is

The Census internal point of Powell County is at 37.809600, -83.831200. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades Kentucky's 120 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Powell 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: Powell County internal point. Dark pin: Frankfort.

Internal point

Decimal
37.809600, -83.831200
DMS
37°48'34.56"N 83°49'52.32"W
UTM
17N 250761.5E 4188466.9N
Geohash
dnsrh75bz
Plus code
869RR559+RG

Towns in Powell County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Powell County, 4,347 people together, or 34% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Powell County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Stanton with 3,171.

  1. 01Stanton3,171
  2. 02Clay City1,176
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Powell County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Powell County. The most populous is Clark County, KY, with 37,673 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Frankfort and the nearest big city

Frankfort is 62.5 miles WNW of Powell County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Lexington-Fayette, KY (population 329,437), 37.7 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Winchester, KY (population 19,413), 23.7 miles away.

Powell County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Powell County is 21197: state code 21 for Kentucky plus county code 197. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $46,014.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Powell County, Kentucky?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 12,928. That is down 171 people (1.3%) from the July 2020 estimate of 13,099.

What is the FIPS code of Powell County?

21197. The first two digits (21) are Kentucky; the last three (197) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Powell County?

Stanton, with 3,171 residents inside Powell County in 2024.

Which counties border Powell County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Clark County, KY; Montgomery County, KY; Estill County, KY; Lee County, KY; Wolfe County, KY; Menifee 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.