• county
  • FIPS 21235
  • Largest town: Corbin

Whitley County, Kentucky

Whitley County had 37,233 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 437.9 square miles of land. It ranks 28th of 120 in Kentucky by population and 23rd by land area.

Population
37,233
#28 of 120 in Kentucky · #1,255 in US
Area
437.9 sq mi
#23 of 120 in Kentucky · #2,311 in US
Density
85 / sq mi
#42 of 120 in Kentucky · #1,031 in US
Median household income
$43,910
#97 of 120 in Kentucky · #3,002 in US

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

Whitley County within Kentucky. Pin: Frankfort.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Whitley County

Whitley County population, land area and income

Whitley County had 37,233 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 437.9 square miles of land. It ranks 28th of 120 in Kentucky by population and 23rd by land area. That works out to 85.0 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; Whitley County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $43,910 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

37,233

3144th1st

1255th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

438 sq mi

3144th1st

2311th of 3,144 (US)

Density

85.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

1031st of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$43,910

3143rd1st

3002nd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Kentucky (120)

Population

37,233

120th1st

28th of 120 (KY)

Land area

438 sq mi

120th1st

23rd of 120 (KY)

Density

85.0 / sq mi

120th1st

42nd of 120 (KY)

Median household income

$43,910

120th1st

97th of 120 (KY)

How Whitley County's population changed since 2020

Whitley County gained 539 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.5%. That ranks 58th 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, Whitley County recorded 2,344 births and 2,545 deaths, a natural change of -201. Net international migration added +150 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +547. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 547 people.

36.7k202036.8k202137.0k202236.9k202337.2k2024
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
2,344
Deaths
2,545
Net international migration
+150
Net domestic migration
+547
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+316

Where Whitley County is

The Census internal point of Whitley County is at 36.758000, -84.144600. 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 Whitley 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: Whitley County internal point. Dark pin: Frankfort.

Internal point

Decimal
36.758000, -84.144600
DMS
36°45'28.80"N 84°08'40.56"W
UTM
16N 754895.4E 4071829.9N
Geohash
dns1j5xfb
Plus code
868QQV54+65

Towns in Whitley County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Whitley County, 11,382 people together, or 31% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Whitley County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Corbin with 6,050.

  1. 01Corbin (part)6,050
  2. 02Williamsburg5,332
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Whitley County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Whitley County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Laurel County, KY, with 63,353 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Frankfort and the nearest big city

Frankfort is 106.5 miles NNW of Whitley County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Knoxville, TN (population 198,722), 55.5 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Somerset, KY (population 12,389), 34.1 miles away.

Whitley County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Whitley County is 21235: state code 21 for Kentucky plus county code 235. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $43,910.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Whitley County, Kentucky?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 37,233. That is up 539 people (1.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 36,694.

What is the FIPS code of Whitley County?

21235. The first two digits (21) are Kentucky; the last three (235) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Whitley County?

Corbin, with 6,050 residents inside Whitley County in 2024 (7,891 across all 2 counties it spans).

Which counties border Whitley County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Laurel County, KY; Campbell County, TN; Claiborne County, TN; Knox County, KY; Bell County, KY; McCreary 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.