Lincoln County, Kentucky

KY · FIPS 21137 Republican

Located in Kentucky, Lincoln County has a population of 24,504 residents and a median age of 40.7 years, making it the #1,682 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 16.3%. The median home value is $147,300, and the median household income is $52,440, which is 30% below the national median.

24,504
Population
#1,682 of 3,222
$52,440
Median Income
-30.2% #2,635 of 3,222
40.7 years
Median Age
+4.6% #1,893 of 3,222
16.3%
Poverty Rate
+29.3% #2,177 of 3,222

Demographics

Lincoln County has a population of 24,504, making it the #1,682 most populous county in the US. The median age is 40.7 years, which is 4.6% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

99.3%
Native Born
0.7%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Lincoln County is $52,440, ranking #2,635 out of 3,222 counties — 30.2% below the national median. The poverty rate is 16.3% and unemployment stands at 6.5%.

Income#2,635
$52,440
-30.2%
vs nation
18th percentile
Per Capita#2,688
$28,170
-31.7%
vs nation
17th percentile
Poverty#2,177
16.3%
+29.3%
vs nation
32th percentile
Unemployment#2,698
6.5%
+23.2%
vs nation
16th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Lincoln County is $147,300 (-47.7% vs national). Renters pay a median of $698/mo and the homeownership rate is 76.4%.

Home Value#2,291
$147,300
-47.7%
vs nation
29th percentile
Rent#2,740
$698
-40.0%
vs nation
15th percentile
Homeownership#1,271
76.4%
+18.7%
vs nation
61th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Lincoln County, 15.9% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 52.7% below the national average, ranking #2,682 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
15.9% −52.7% vs nation
Rank #2,682 of 3,222
17th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Lincoln County is 70.5 years. 22.8% of adults report poor or fair health and 7.6% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#2,805
70.5
-6.2%
vs nation
9th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#2,389
22.8%
+16.6%
vs nation
24th percentile
Diabetes#2,236
12.3%
+10.5%
vs nation
29th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#2,550
41.0%
+9.9%
vs nation
19th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#1,287
5.5
-2.3%
vs nation
59th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#2,720
5.2
+16.9%
vs nation
14th percentile
Uninsured Rate#1,033
7.6%
-27.7%
vs nation
67th percentile
Physical Inactivity#1,852
27.3%
+3.5%
vs nation
41th percentile
Food Insecurity#2,214
16.2%
+12.5%
vs nation
30th percentile

Substance Use

20.5% of adults in Lincoln County smoke , 40.2% are obese , and 15.0% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 60.2 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#2,396
20.5%
+14.2%
vs nation
24th percentile
Adult Obesity#2,119
40.2%
+6.0%
vs nation
33th percentile
Excessive Drinking#181
15.0%
-24.5%
vs nation
94th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#1,953
60.2
+86.2%
vs nation
8th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Lincoln County is 6.4 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 19.6 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 29.2 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#828
6.4
-19.8%
vs nation
46th percentile
Suicide Rate#1,497
19.6
-0.6%
vs nation
42th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#948
14.7
-17.6%
vs nation
62th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#2,354
29.2
+44.3%
vs nation
17th percentile

Families & Children

22.9% of children in Lincoln County live in poverty . The teen birth rate is 35.5 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Teen Birth Rate#2,647
35.5
+62.6%
vs nation
12th percentile
Child Poverty#2,294
22.9%
+20.6%
vs nation
27th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Lincoln County is 58.9%. The mean commute time is 33.3 min, which is 20.7% above the national average.

Voter Turnout
58.9% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
33.3 min +20.7% vs nation
Rank #446 of 3,222
86th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Lincoln County voted Republican with a margin of 61.2%. The vote was 18.9% Dem / 80.1% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 4.1 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +61.2%
18.9% 80.1%
Dem 11,034 votes Rep
2020 REP +57.1%
20.7% 77.8%
Dem 10,914 votes Rep
2016 REP +57.3%
19.5% 76.8%
Dem 9,555 votes Rep
2012 REP +41.9%
28.2% 70.1%
Dem 9,152 votes Rep
2008 REP +38.4%
30.1% 68.5%
Dem 9,151 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Lincoln County, Kentucky

Lincoln County, Kentucky has a total population of 24,504, making it the 1,682nd most populous county in the United States. The median age in Lincoln County is 40.7 years, which is 4.6% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Lincoln County is $52,440, which ranks #2,635 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 30.2% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 16.3%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 6.5%.

The median home value in Lincoln County is $147,300, 47.7% below the national median. Renters in Lincoln County pay a median gross rent of $698 per month. The homeownership rate is 76.4%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Lincoln County, 15.9% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 52.7% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 92.2% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 33.3 min.

Lincoln County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 92.3% of the population, followed by Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic or Latino (2.1%).

All data for Lincoln 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.