| County | Rank | Change (2020) ↓ | 2026 Pop. | 2020 Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren County | 1 | 12.7% | 152,184 | 135,039 |
| Allen County | 2 | 11.69% | 22,977 | 20,573 |
| Madison County | 3 | 11.6% | 103,792 | 93,002 |
| Jessamine County | 4 | 9.31% | 57,978 | 53,038 |
| Spencer County | 5 | 9.2% | 21,289 | 19,496 |
| Scott County | 6 | 9.14% | 62,800 | 57,541 |
| Garrard County | 7 | 8.85% | 18,466 | 16,965 |
| Nicholas County | 8 | 8.01% | 8,146 | 7,542 |
| Boone County | 9 | 7.82% | 147,142 | 136,472 |
| Simpson County | 10 | 7.79% | 21,158 | 19,628 |
| Shelby County | 11 | 7.79% | 52,004 | 48,245 |
| Todd County | 12 | 7.12% | 13,157 | 12,283 |
| Anderson County | 13 | 6.65% | 25,492 | 23,902 |
| Grant County | 14 | 6.46% | 26,630 | 25,014 |
| Menifee County | 15 | 6.4% | 6,531 | 6,138 |
| Henry County | 16 | 6.37% | 16,692 | 15,693 |
| Breckinridge County | 17 | 6.35% | 21,742 | 20,443 |
| Morgan County | 18 | 6.29% | 14,597 | 13,733 |
| Calloway County | 19 | 6.24% | 39,940 | 37,595 |
| Bullitt County | 20 | 5.8% | 87,143 | 82,365 |
| Mercer County | 21 | 5.8% | 23,967 | 22,654 |
| Lincoln County | 22 | 5.79% | 25,653 | 24,249 |
| Harrison County | 23 | 5.76% | 19,787 | 18,710 |
| Edmonson County | 24 | 5.73% | 12,836 | 12,140 |
| Nelson County | 25 | 5.72% | 49,463 | 46,785 |
| Lyon County | 26 | 5.72% | 9,169 | 8,673 |
| Fleming County | 27 | 5.55% | 15,926 | 15,089 |
| Green County | 28 | 5.49% | 11,740 | 11,129 |
| Oldham County | 29 | 5.42% | 71,372 | 67,705 |
| Hart County | 30 | 5.37% | 20,324 | 19,288 |
| Robertson County | 31 | 5.32% | 2,298 | 2,182 |
| Bath County | 32 | 5.25% | 13,382 | 12,715 |
| Logan County | 33 | 4.99% | 28,889 | 27,515 |
| Kenton County | 34 | 4.64% | 177,117 | 169,263 |
| Grayson County | 35 | 4.44% | 27,633 | 26,458 |
| Woodford County | 36 | 4.39% | 28,082 | 26,900 |
| Pulaski County | 37 | 4.14% | 67,809 | 65,112 |
| Campbell County | 38 | 3.96% | 96,828 | 93,141 |
| Boyle County | 39 | 3.94% | 31,967 | 30,754 |
| Adair County | 40 | 3.84% | 19,611 | 18,885 |
| Owen County | 41 | 3.84% | 11,737 | 11,303 |
| Russell County | 42 | 3.72% | 18,667 | 17,997 |
| Trimble County | 43 | 3.52% | 8,763 | 8,465 |
| Metcalfe County | 44 | 3.33% | 10,629 | 10,286 |
| Marion County | 45 | 3.29% | 20,232 | 19,587 |
| Washington County | 46 | 3.19% | 12,426 | 12,042 |
| Hardin County | 47 | 3.15% | 114,320 | 110,834 |
| Carroll County | 48 | 3.14% | 11,171 | 10,831 |
| Trigg County | 49 | 3.08% | 14,511 | 14,077 |
| Barren County | 50 | 3.06% | 45,870 | 44,508 |
| Fayette County | 51 | 3.04% | 332,431 | 322,620 |
| Jackson County | 52 | 2.98% | 13,356 | 12,969 |
| Meade County | 53 | 2.9% | 30,901 | 30,030 |
| McCreary County | 54 | 2.88% | 17,325 | 16,840 |
| Clark County | 55 | 2.86% | 38,092 | 37,033 |
| Gallatin County | 56 | 2.79% | 8,916 | 8,674 |
| Taylor County | 57 | 2.71% | 26,715 | 26,011 |
| Casey County | 58 | 2.71% | 16,357 | 15,926 |
| Montgomery County | 59 | 2.55% | 28,831 | 28,115 |
| Franklin County | 60 | 2.52% | 52,901 | 51,600 |
| Laurel County | 61 | 2.41% | 64,248 | 62,733 |
| Larue County | 62 | 2.24% | 15,212 | 14,879 |
| Graves County | 63 | 2.1% | 37,302 | 36,533 |
| Daviess County | 64 | 2.05% | 105,521 | 103,398 |
| Butler County | 65 | 1.94% | 12,560 | 12,321 |
| Bracken County | 66 | 1.92% | 8,560 | 8,399 |
| Whitley County | 67 | 1.89% | 37,389 | 36,696 |
| Jefferson County | 68 | 1.71% | 796,278 | 782,866 |
| Cumberland County | 69 | 1.48% | 5,947 | 5,860 |
| Pendleton County | 70 | 1.08% | 14,799 | 14,641 |
| Ohio County | 71 | 0.93% | 23,968 | 23,747 |
| Wayne County | 72 | 0.42% | 19,631 | 19,548 |
| Rockcastle County | 73 | 0.17% | 16,084 | 16,057 |
| Livingston County | 74 | 0.09% | 8,879 | 8,871 |
| Marshall County | 75 | -0.08% | 31,663 | 31,689 |
| Caldwell County | 76 | -0.09% | 12,630 | 12,642 |
| Hancock County | 77 | -0.24% | 9,082 | 9,104 |
| Webster County | 78 | -0.27% | 12,986 | 13,021 |
| Hopkins County | 79 | -0.3% | 45,233 | 45,369 |
| Muhlenberg County | 80 | -0.67% | 30,696 | 30,904 |
| Bourbon County | 81 | -0.74% | 20,149 | 20,299 |
| Monroe County | 82 | -0.79% | 11,226 | 11,315 |
| McCracken County | 83 | -0.81% | 67,374 | 67,923 |
| Lee County | 84 | -0.87% | 7,301 | 7,365 |
| McLean County | 85 | -0.95% | 9,047 | 9,134 |
| Elliott County | 86 | -1% | 7,260 | 7,333 |
| Mason County | 87 | -1.03% | 16,958 | 17,135 |
| Henderson County | 88 | -1.15% | 44,162 | 44,677 |
| Rowan County | 89 | -1.17% | 24,426 | 24,714 |
| Estill County | 90 | -1.25% | 13,979 | 14,156 |
| Clinton County | 91 | -1.35% | 9,106 | 9,231 |
| Boyd County | 92 | -1.36% | 47,554 | 48,209 |
| Lewis County | 93 | -1.51% | 12,890 | 13,088 |
| Carlisle County | 94 | -1.6% | 4,730 | 4,807 |
| Ballard County | 95 | -1.71% | 7,580 | 7,712 |
| Carter County | 96 | -1.92% | 26,103 | 26,614 |
| Greenup County | 97 | -1.98% | 35,176 | 35,885 |
| Owsley County | 98 | -2.48% | 3,934 | 4,034 |
| Powell County | 99 | -2.56% | 12,763 | 13,098 |
| Knox County | 100 | -2.56% | 29,412 | 30,186 |
| Johnson County | 101 | -3% | 21,969 | 22,648 |
| Wolfe County | 102 | -3.46% | 6,333 | 6,560 |
| Lawrence County | 103 | -3.65% | 15,705 | 16,300 |
| Hickman County | 104 | -3.84% | 4,354 | 4,528 |
| Crittenden County | 105 | -4.03% | 8,639 | 9,002 |
| Floyd County | 106 | -4.56% | 34,172 | 35,805 |
| Clay County | 107 | -4.59% | 19,375 | 20,308 |
| Magoffin County | 108 | -4.8% | 11,049 | 11,606 |
| Martin County | 109 | -4.81% | 10,711 | 11,252 |
| Fulton County | 110 | -5.13% | 6,176 | 6,510 |
| Christian County | 111 | -5.44% | 68,794 | 72,752 |
| Bell County | 112 | -5.54% | 22,653 | 23,981 |
| Knott County | 113 | -6.95% | 13,179 | 14,163 |
| Perry County | 114 | -7.28% | 26,305 | 28,370 |
| Pike County | 115 | -7.48% | 54,084 | 58,459 |
| Union County | 116 | -8.01% | 12,551 | 13,644 |
| Letcher County | 117 | -8.24% | 19,697 | 21,465 |
| Harlan County | 118 | -8.78% | 24,404 | 26,752 |
| Leslie County | 119 | -9.22% | 9,505 | 10,470 |
| Breathitt County | 120 | -9.75% | 12,365 | 13,701 |
Kentucky's counties show varied growth patterns from 2020 to 2026. Warren County leads with 2.01% annualized growth, followed by Allen County (1.86%) and Madison County (1.85%). The largest counties are Jefferson County (796,278), Fayette County (332,431), and Kenton County (177,117). Of the 120 counties in Kentucky, 74 are growing while 46 have experienced population decline. Overall, counties averaged 0.25% annualized growth, with total population growing by 0.44% annually.
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