Lexington, Kentucky Population 2024

318,081

Lexington is a city located in Fayette County Kentucky. Lexington has a 2024 population of 318,081. It is also the county seat of Fayette County. Lexington is currently declining at a rate of -0.35% annually and its population has decreased by -1.4% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 322,613 in 2020.

The average household income in Lexington is $96,124 with a poverty rate of 14.93%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Lexington is 35.2 years, 34.3 years for males, and 36.1 years for females.

Lexington is a city located in Fayette County in Kentucky. Lexington is known as “Horse Capital of the World” and the Kentucky Horse Park, The Red Mile, and Keeneland racecourses are all located in Lexington.

Lexington Diversity and Language

According to the 2010 United States census, Lexington was 75.7% white, 14.5% African American, 3.2% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 1.21% of other races, and 2.5% from two or more races.

According to the Lexington government, There are over 185 languages spoken in Lexington, with the top ten foreign languages being Spanish, Swahili, Arabic, Japanese, Nepali, French, Mandarin, Kinyarwanda, Korean and Portuguese in addition to the official language, English. The largest of these languages is Spanish, which is spoken by 6.2% of the population.

Lexington Population Growth

The Lexington metro area grew by 7.1% from 2010 to 2016, more than the national average growth rate of 4.5%. Lexington’s average annual growth rate is about 1.1%. According to the Census Bureau, this can be attributed to domestic migration and international immigration and a higher birth-to-death ratio.

Lexington’s population saw the largest growth from 1970 to 1980, where the population grew over 96,000 from 108,137 to 204,165.

Lexington was first founded in June of 1775 by European-American frontiersmen. Upon hearing of the news of colonist victory in the battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, the frontiersmen decided to name the land Lexington. The area of modern-day Lexington was originally considered to be part of Fincastle County, Virginia. Seventeen years later, Kentucky would become a state.

In 1780, Lexington was made the seat of the newly organized Fayette County in Virginia. The town was chartered on May 6, 1782, by the Virginia legislature. Kentucky became a state in 1790, and the first session of the Kentucky legislature was held in Lexington in 1792.

Horseracing was prohibited in Lexington until 1788, and from then on, the devotion to horse racing has remained a passion in Lexington. The American Thoroughbred Breeders Association has its headquarters in Lexington. Lexington has several horseracing and sales facilities, as well as museums of horses and the sport.

In 1865, the University of Kentucky and Lexington Theological Seminary were founded.

During the Great Depression, the Addiction Research Center (ARC) was created at the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital in Lexington and was one of the first drug rehabilitation clinics in the United States.

Lexington Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Lexington was:

  • White: 71.81%
  • Black or African American: 14.7%
  • Two or more races: 6.35%
  • Asian: 4.12%
  • Other race: 2.81%
  • Native American: 0.18%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.02%
Land Area (mi²)
283.6 sq mi
Density (mi²)
1,121.40/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
-1.4% (-4,532)
The current population of Lexington, Kentucky is 318,081 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates.The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 322,613.

Lexington, Kentucky Population 2024

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White230,70471.81%
Black or African American47,24014.7%
Two or more races20,4156.35%
Asian13,2484.12%
Other race9,0362.81%
Native American5840.18%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander490.02%

White

Black or African American

Two or more races

Asian

Other race

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Lexington Population by Race

Lexington Population Pyramid 2024

Lexington Median Age

35.2

Total

34.3

Male

36.1

Female

Lexington Adults

There are 254,973 adults, (45,560 of whom are seniors) in Lexington.

Lexington Age Dependency

53.4

Age Dependency Ratio

21.8

Old Age Dependency Ratio

31.7

Child Dependency Ratio

Lexington Sex Ratio

Female162,90550.71%
Male158,37149.29%

Lexington Population by Age

Lexington Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All136,1042.2754.345.7
Non Family60,1541.33961
Married54,6743.0476.723.3
Female15,0583.0837.162.9
Male6,2182.9247.952.1

2.94

Average Family Size

2.27

Average Household Size

54.3%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Lexington Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Lexington Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Lexington Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 95.58%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 70.72%.

Lexington Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$45,963

Average Earnings

$52,258

Average Male

$40,792

Average Female

Lexington Earnings by Educational Attainment

Lexington Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Lexington Language

86.37% of Lexington residents speak only English, while 13.63% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 6.13% of the population.

Lexington Language

Lexington Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White215,44925,25911.72%
Black45,17011,65625.8%
Hispanic23,2505,51323.71%
Multiple19,6544,66123.72%
Other8,8102,03023.04%
Asian12,8641,2279.54%
Native54114226.25%

14.93%

Overall Poverty Rate

13.86%

Male Poverty Rate

15.97%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Lexington

The race most likely to be in poverty in Lexington is Native, with 26.25% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Lexington is Asian, with 9.54% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.85%. Among those working part-time, it was 25.92%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 22.22%.

Lexington Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade29.62%
High School15.18%
Some College10.37%
Bachelors or Greater4.75%

Lexington Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed36.35%
Male Unemployed32.38%
Female Employed11.16%
Male Employed7.61%

Lexington Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Lexington Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Lexington Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

43.6%

Overall Marriage Rate

45.2%

Male Marriage Rate

42.2%

Female Marriage Rate

Lexington Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Lexington Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.

Lexington Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Lexington Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

14,081

Number of Veterans

12,759

Male Veterans

1,322

Female Veterans

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Lexington Veterans by War

count

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Lexington Veterans by Age

count

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Lexington Veterans by Race

Lexington Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

8.12%

Veteran Poverty Rate

30.23%

Veteran Disability Rate

Lexington Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

67.9%

Labor Force Participation

64.6%

Employment Rate

5%

Unemployment Rate

Lexington Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Lexington Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Lexington Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

58.1%

Born in Lexington

89.78%

Native Born

10.22%

Foreign Born

6.55%

Non Citizen

3.67%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

89.78% of Lexington residents were born in the United States, with 58.1% having been born in Kentucky. 6.55% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.

Lexington Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change

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Year
Population
Growth
Growth Rate
2029312,416-1,133-0.36%
2028313,549-1,133-0.36%
2027314,682-1,133-0.36%
2026315,815-1,133-0.36%
2025316,948-1,133-0.36%
2024318,081-1,133-0.35%
2023319,214-1,133-0.35%
2022320,347-126-0.04%
2021320,473-2,140-0.66%
2020322,613-1,309-0.4%
2019323,9221,3250.41%
2018322,5971,0430.32%
2017321,5543,3641.06%
2016318,1902,1110.67%
2015316,0794,0871.31%
2014311,9921,9670.63%
2013310,0253,9631.29%
2012306,0624,2961.42%
2011301,7664,8981.65%
2010296,868
2000260,51235,14615.6%
1990225,36621,20110.38%
1980204,16596,02888.8%
1970108,13745,32772.17%
196062,8107,27613.1%
195055,5346,23012.64%
194049,3043,5687.8%
193045,7364,20210.12%
192041,5346,43518.33%
191035,0998,73033.11%
190026,3694,80222.27%
189021,5674,91129.48%
188016,6561,85512.53%
187014,8015,48058.79%
18609,3211,16214.24%
18508,1591,16216.61%
18406,99797116.11%
18306,02674714.15%
18205,27995322.03%
18104,3262,526140.33%
18001,8001,000125%
1790800-311,616-99.74%
showing: 42 rows

Lexington Population by Year