State
County
Land Area
283.6 sq mi
Density
1,144.4/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
0.22%
Growth Since 2010
9.74%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Metro Population
521,292
Lexington is a city located in Kentucky. With a 2020 population of 324,604, it is the 2nd largest city in Kentucky (after Louisville) and the 61st largest city in the United States. Lexington is currently growing at a rate of 0.22% annually and its population has increased by 9.74% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 295,803 in 2010. Lexington reached it's highest population of 324,604 in 2021. Spanning over 286 miles, Lexington has a population density of 1,144 people per square mile.
The average household income in Lexington is $83,111 with a poverty rate of 16.81%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $896 per month, and the median house value is $189,800. The median age in Lexington is 34.6 years, 33.5 years for males, and 35.6 years for females. For every 100 females there are 96.2 males.
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.
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.
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.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Lexington was:
2019 and 2020 population is estimated by projecting the raw 2018 numbers.
Year | Total Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 521,292 | 2,118 | 0.41% |
2020 | 519,174 | 2,118 | 0.41% |
2019 | 517,056 | 2,118 | 0.41% |
2018 | 514,938 | 2,557 | 0.50% |
2017 | 512,381 | 4,994 | 0.97% |
2016 | 507,387 | 5,918 | 1.17% |
2015 | 501,469 | 6,332 | 1.26% |
2014 | 495,137 | 4,231 | 0.85% |
2013 | 490,906 | 5,670 | 1.16% |
2012 | 485,236 | 6,306 | 1.30% |
2011 | 478,930 | 5,518 | 1.15% |
2010 | 473,412 | 0.00% |
Race | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White | 239,996 | 74.86% |
Black or African American | 46,844 | 14.61% |
Asian | 12,028 | 3.75% |
Two or More Races | 12,027 | 3.75% |
Some Other Race | 9,015 | 2.81% |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 608 | 0.19% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 83 | 0.03% |
Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
---|---|---|---|
All | 129,784 | 2.37 | 54.4 |
Non Family | 55,023 | 1.41 | 39.3 |
Married | 53,272 | 3.05 | 76.5 |
Female | 15,740 | 3.21 | 37 |
Male | 5,749 | 3.09 | 42 |
2.99
Average Family Size
2.37
Average Household Size
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 7,766 | 3.73% |
9th to 12th Grade | 10,500 | 5.04% |
High School Graduate | 40,802 | 19.60% |
Some College | 42,652 | 20.49% |
Associates Degree | 15,585 | 7.49% |
Bachelors Degree | 50,718 | 24.36% |
Graduate Degree | 40,149 | 19.29% |
Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
White | 155,870 | 147,390 | 75,864 |
Black | 28,554 | 24,372 | 5,571 |
Hispanic | 11,621 | 7,089 | 2,235 |
Asian | 7,986 | 7,273 | 5,468 |
Other Race | 5,021 | 2,720 | 765 |
Multiple Races | 3,854 | 3,558 | 1,574 |
Native American | 414 | 313 | 132 |
Islander | 78 | 65 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 94.56%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 68.47%.
$39,119
Average Earnings
$43,556
Average Male
$34,014
Average Female
86.94% of Lexington residents speak only English, while 13.06% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 6.26% of the population.
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
White | 218,461 | 27,540 | 12.61% |
Black | 44,503 | 13,073 | 29.38% |
Hispanic | 22,462 | 6,598 | 29.37% |
Multiple | 11,293 | 3,292 | 29.15% |
Other | 8,825 | 2,608 | 29.55% |
Asian | 11,863 | 1,780 | 15.00% |
Native | 561 | 117 | 20.86% |
16.81%
Overall Poverty Rate
15.66%
Male Poverty Rate
17.91%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Lexington is Other, with 29.55% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Lexington is White, with 12.61% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.87%. Among those working part-time, it was 29.42%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 24.19%.
43.1%
Overall Marriage Rate
44.4%
Male Marriage Rate
41.9%
Female Marriage Rate
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.
Name | Veterans | % of Total |
---|---|---|
White | 12,774 | 6.50% |
Black | 2,172 | 6.21% |
Hispanic | 440 | 3.08% |
2 or More | 263 | 4.39% |
Other | 128 | 2.25% |
Indian | 99 | 21.90% |
Asian | 32 | 0.33% |
7.34%
Veteran Poverty Rate
29.46%
Veteran Disability Rate
67.8%
Labor Force Participation
64.3%
Employment Rate
5.1%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
90.34%
Native Born
9.66%
Foreign Born
6.79%
Non Citizen
2.88%
Naturalized
90.34% of Lexington residents were born in the United States, with 58.74% having been born in Kentucky. 6.79% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.
Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 324,604 | 726 | 0.22% |
2020 | 323,878 | 726 | 0.22% |
2019 | 323,152 | 726 | 0.23% |
2018 | 322,426 | 462 | 0.14% |
2017 | 321,964 | 2,320 | 0.73% |
2016 | 319,644 | 3,825 | 1.21% |
2015 | 315,819 | 4,035 | 1.29% |
2014 | 311,784 | 1,919 | 0.62% |
2013 | 309,865 | 3,918 | 1.28% |
2012 | 305,947 | 4,251 | 1.41% |
2011 | 301,696 | 4,848 | 1.63% |
2010 | 296,848 | 36,336 | 1.31% |
2000 | 260,512 | 35,146 | 1.46% |
1990 | 225,366 | 21,201 | 0.99% |
1980 | 204,165 | 96,028 | 6.56% |
1970 | 108,137 | 45,327 | 5.58% |
1960 | 62,810 | 7,276 | 1.24% |
1950 | 55,534 | 6,230 | 1.20% |
1940 | 49,304 | 3,568 | 0.75% |
1930 | 45,736 | 4,202 | 0.97% |
1920 | 41,534 | 6,435 | 1.70% |
1910 | 35,099 | 8,730 | 2.90% |
1900 | 26,369 | 4,802 | 2.03% |
1890 | 21,567 | 4,911 | 2.62% |
1880 | 16,656 | 1,855 | 1.19% |
1870 | 14,801 | 5,480 | 4.73% |
1860 | 9,321 | 1,162 | 1.34% |
1850 | 8,159 | 1,162 | 1.55% |
1840 | 6,997 | 971 | 1.51% |
1830 | 6,026 | 747 | 1.33% |
1820 | 5,279 | 953 | 2.01% |
1810 | 4,326 | 2,526 | 9.16% |
1800 | 1,800 | 1,000 | 8.45% |
1790 | 800 | 0.00% |