Jackson County, Kentucky

KY · FIPS 21109 Republican

Located in Kentucky, Jackson County has a population of 13,086 residents and a median age of 40.8 years, making it the #2,280 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 19.5%. The median home value is $111,500, and the median household income is $40,000, which is 47% below the national median.

13,086
Population
#2,280 of 3,222
$40,000
Median Income
-46.8% #3,073 of 3,222
40.8 years
Median Age
+4.9% #1,862 of 3,222
19.5%
Poverty Rate
+54.4% #2,618 of 3,222

Demographics

Jackson County has a population of 13,086, making it the #2,280 most populous county in the US. The median age is 40.8 years, which is 4.9% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

99.6%
Native Born
0.4%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Jackson County is $40,000, ranking #3,073 out of 3,222 counties — 46.8% below the national median. The poverty rate is 19.5% and unemployment stands at 4.0%.

Income#3,073
$40,000
-46.8%
vs nation
5th percentile
Per Capita#3,063
$22,925
-44.4%
vs nation
5th percentile
Poverty#2,618
19.5%
+54.4%
vs nation
19th percentile
Unemployment#1,309
4.0%
-25.1%
vs nation
59th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Jackson County is $111,500 (-60.4% vs national). Renters pay a median of $665/mo and the homeownership rate is 77.4%.

Home Value#2,824
$111,500
-60.4%
vs nation
12th percentile
Rent#2,886
$665
-42.8%
vs nation
10th percentile
Homeownership#1,072
77.4%
+20.2%
vs nation
67th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Jackson County, 8.8% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 73.8% below the national average, ranking #3,203 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
8.8% −73.8% vs nation
Rank #3,203 of 3,222
1th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Jackson County is 71.1 years. 29.5% of adults report poor or fair health and 7.5% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#2,688
71.1
-5.3%
vs nation
12th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#3,054
29.5%
+50.8%
vs nation
3th percentile
Diabetes#2,774
13.9%
+24.9%
vs nation
12th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#2,821
42.3%
+13.4%
vs nation
10th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#2,252
6.0
+5.8%
vs nation
28th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#3,049
5.8
+29.4%
vs nation
3th percentile
Uninsured Rate#988
7.5%
-28.9%
vs nation
69th percentile
Physical Inactivity#2,919
34.3%
+30.0%
vs nation
7th percentile
Food Insecurity#2,961
20.1%
+39.5%
vs nation
6th percentile

Substance Use

28.0% of adults in Jackson County smoke , 41.9% are obese , and 14.7% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 35.6 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#3,118
28.0%
+55.9%
vs nation
1th percentile
Adult Obesity#2,605
41.9%
+10.5%
vs nation
17th percentile
Excessive Drinking#126
14.7%
-26.2%
vs nation
96th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#1,430
35.6
+10.2%
vs nation
32th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Jackson County is 12.9 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 32.7 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 26.9 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#1,299
12.9
+61.5%
vs nation
15th percentile
Suicide Rate#2,405
32.7
+65.8%
vs nation
6th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#2,369
34.8
+94.8%
vs nation
4th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#2,215
26.9
+32.9%
vs nation
22th percentile

Families & Children

28.4% of children in Jackson County live in poverty . The teen birth rate is 43.8 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Teen Birth Rate#2,885
43.8
+100.7%
vs nation
4th percentile
Child Poverty#2,762
28.4%
+49.5%
vs nation
12th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Jackson County is 59.0%. The mean commute time is 39.5 min, which is 43.2% above the national average.

Voter Turnout
59.0% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
39.5 min +43.2% vs nation
Rank #72 of 3,222
98th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Jackson County voted Republican with a margin of 81.8%. The vote was 8.5% Dem / 90.3% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 2.5 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +81.8%
8.5% 90.3%
Dem 5,934 votes Rep
2020 REP +79.3%
9.9% 89.2%
Dem 6,113 votes Rep
2016 REP +80.1%
8.8% 88.9%
Dem 5,497 votes Rep
2012 REP +74.1%
12.1% 86.2%
Dem 5,061 votes Rep
2008 REP +70.2%
14.2% 84.4%
Dem 5,224 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Jackson County, Kentucky

Jackson County, Kentucky has a total population of 13,086, making it the 2,280th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Jackson County is 40.8 years, which is 4.9% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Jackson County is $40,000, which ranks #3,073 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 46.8% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 19.5%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 4.0%.

The median home value in Jackson County is $111,500, 60.4% below the national median. Renters in Jackson County pay a median gross rent of $665 per month. The homeownership rate is 77.4%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Jackson County, 8.8% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 73.8% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 94.7% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 39.5 min.

Jackson County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 96.2% of the population, followed by Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic or Latino (1.1%).

All data for Jackson County, Kentucky comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.