These 10 KY cities grew the most in 2021. Plus, the ones that lost the most residents
Kentucky’s population grew by more than an estimated 3,550 people from spring 2020 to summer 2021, though, naturally, not all areas welcomed new residents.
Population estimates released recently by the U.S. Census Bureau for incorporated cities and towns in the U.S. indicate a number of Kentucky areas added new residents from July 1, 2020, to July 1, 2021.
Topping that list is Richmond, with an estimated 918 new residents year over year. Bowling Green followed with 877 and Elizabethtown rounded out the top three with 498.
Louisville and Lexington, the state’s two largest cities, led on incorporated areas in the state that shrunk the most over the same period, with Louisville losing an estimated 3,443 residents and Lexington counting a loss of around 610.
According to The Pew Charitable Trusts, 17 U.S. states saw population declines from 2020 to 2021, with New York, Illinois, Hawaii and California seeing the greatest losses (though Pew notes these declines were due to residents moving elsewhere).
Scaling out to the past decade, Pew notes Kentucky’s population increased 0.38% from 2010 to 2020, according to the decennial census.
Census data indicates Kentuckians are majority white at 87.5% (84.1% white, non-Hispanic or Latino), majority female at 50.7% and 25% of residents older than 25 hold a bachelor’s degree.
The median household income from 2016 to 2020 was $52,238 in 2020 dollars, and almost 15% of the state’s residents live in poverty.
Top 10 fastest growing Kentucky cities/towns
According to the latest census data, here’s the top 10 incorporated areas in Kentucky that saw the most growth from 2020 to 2021, based on estimates:
- Richmond, +918
- Bowling Green, +877
- Elizabethtown, +498
- Georgetown, +477
- Nicholasville, +387
- Berea, +299
- Independence, +288
- Somerset, +212
- Florence, +208
- Murray, +193
Top 10 fastest shrinking Kentucky cities/towns
According to the latest census data, here’s the top 10 incorporated areas in Kentucky that saw the most population shrink from 2020 to 2021, based on estimates:
- Louisville, -3,443
- Lexington, -610
- Paducah, -230
- Henderson, -215
- Covington, -181
- Ashland, -177
- Owensboro, -172
- Hopkinsville, -156
- Jeffersontown, -153
- Pikeville, -140
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This story was originally published June 10, 2022 at 2:54 PM.