Knott County, Kentucky

KY · FIPS 21119 Republican

Located in Kentucky, Knott County has a population of 13,830 residents and a median age of 44.6 years, making it the #2,238 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 23.3%. The median home value is $77,000, and the median household income is $41,761, which is 44% below the national median.

13,830
Population
#2,238 of 3,222
$41,761
Median Income
-44.4% #3,040 of 3,222
44.6 years
Median Age
+14.7% #812 of 3,222
23.3%
Poverty Rate
+85.0% #2,920 of 3,222

Demographics

Knott County has a population of 13,830, making it the #2,238 most populous county in the US. The median age is 44.6 years, which is 14.7% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

99.1%
Native Born
0.9%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Knott County is $41,761, ranking #3,040 out of 3,222 counties — 44.4% below the national median. The poverty rate is 23.3% and unemployment stands at 9.3%.

Income#3,040
$41,761
-44.4%
vs nation
6th percentile
Per Capita#3,029
$23,721
-42.5%
vs nation
6th percentile
Poverty#2,920
23.3%
+85.0%
vs nation
9th percentile
Unemployment#3,050
9.3%
+74.8%
vs nation
5th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Knott County is $77,000 (-72.7% vs national). Renters pay a median of $756/mo and the homeownership rate is 72.7%.

Home Value#3,181
$77,000
-72.7%
vs nation
1th percentile
Rent#2,443
$756
-35.0%
vs nation
24th percentile
Homeownership#1,899
72.7%
+13.0%
vs nation
41th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Knott County, 19.5% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 42.1% below the national average, ranking #2,089 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
19.5% −42.1% vs nation
Rank #2,089 of 3,222
35th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Knott County is 67.1 years. 30.1% of adults report poor or fair health and 7.2% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#3,017
67.1
-10.7%
vs nation
2th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#3,069
30.1%
+53.9%
vs nation
2th percentile
Diabetes#2,811
14.1%
+26.7%
vs nation
11th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#2,876
42.7%
+14.5%
vs nation
9th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#2,427
6.1
+7.6%
vs nation
23th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#3,115
6.1
+36.2%
vs nation
1th percentile
Uninsured Rate#872
7.2%
-31.6%
vs nation
72th percentile
Physical Inactivity#2,860
33.6%
+27.4%
vs nation
9th percentile
Food Insecurity#3,095
22.5%
+56.2%
vs nation
2th percentile

Substance Use

25.6% of adults in Knott County smoke , 42.5% are obese , and 13.5% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 117.8 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#3,041
25.6%
+42.6%
vs nation
3th percentile
Adult Obesity#2,725
42.5%
+12.1%
vs nation
13th percentile
Excessive Drinking#40
13.5%
-32.0%
vs nation
99th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#2,103
117.8
+264.4%
vs nation
1th percentile

Safety

The suicide rate is 23.7 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 30.0 per 100,000.

Suicide Rate#1,976
23.7
+20.0%
vs nation
23th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#2,306
31.8
+77.8%
vs nation
7th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#2,398
30.0
+48.3%
vs nation
15th percentile

Families & Children

31.6% of children in Knott County live in poverty . The teen birth rate is 24.8 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Teen Birth Rate#1,927
24.8
+13.4%
vs nation
36th percentile
Child Poverty#2,914
31.6%
+66.4%
vs nation
7th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Knott County is 52.2%. The mean commute time is 27.1 min, which is 1.8% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
52.2% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
27.1 min −1.8% vs nation
Rank #1,463 of 3,222
55th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Knott County voted Republican with a margin of 59.1%. The vote was 19.7% Dem / 78.8% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 5.2 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +59.1%
19.7% 78.8%
Dem 6,003 votes Rep
2020 REP +53.9%
22.6% 76.5%
Dem 6,252 votes Rep
2016 REP +54.1%
21.6% 75.7%
Dem 5,756 votes Rep
2012 REP +47.6%
24.9% 72.5%
Dem 5,693 votes Rep
2008 REP +7.8%
44.9% 52.7%
Dem 5,820 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Knott County, Kentucky

Knott County, Kentucky has a total population of 13,830, making it the 2,238th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Knott County is 44.6 years, which is 14.7% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Knott County is $41,761, which ranks #3,040 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 44.4% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 23.3%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 9.3%.

The median home value in Knott County is $77,000, 72.7% below the national median. Renters in Knott County pay a median gross rent of $756 per month. The homeownership rate is 72.7%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Knott County, 19.5% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 42.1% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 97.6% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 27.1 min.

Knott County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 96.7% of the population, followed by Two or More Races (1.3%) and Black (non-Hispanic) (1.1%).

All data for Knott 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.