| County | Rank | Change (2020) ↓ | 2026 Pop. | 2020 Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren County | 1 | 15.49% | 155,950 | 135,033 |
| Robertson County | 2 | 13.46% | 2,478 | 2,184 |
| Madison County | 3 | 11.35% | 103,548 | 92,990 |
| Scott County | 4 | 11.06% | 63,900 | 57,535 |
| Jessamine County | 5 | 10.27% | 58,463 | 53,019 |
| Allen County | 6 | 9.63% | 22,553 | 20,572 |
| Spencer County | 7 | 9.5% | 21,355 | 19,503 |
| Boone County | 8 | 9.46% | 149,383 | 136,476 |
| Garrard County | 9 | 8.13% | 18,344 | 16,964 |
| Nicholas County | 10 | 7.43% | 8,100 | 7,540 |
| Nelson County | 11 | 7.22% | 50,156 | 46,779 |
| Todd County | 12 | 6.81% | 13,119 | 12,283 |
| Edmonson County | 13 | 6.8% | 12,973 | 12,147 |
| Mercer County | 14 | 6.69% | 24,167 | 22,652 |
| Jackson County | 15 | 6.4% | 13,798 | 12,968 |
| Kenton County | 16 | 6.39% | 180,090 | 169,276 |
| Anderson County | 17 | 6.37% | 25,413 | 23,892 |
| Henry County | 18 | 6.37% | 16,692 | 15,693 |
| Bullitt County | 19 | 6.12% | 87,406 | 82,364 |
| Trigg County | 20 | 6.08% | 14,937 | 14,081 |
| Calloway County | 21 | 6.07% | 39,885 | 37,601 |
| Shelby County | 22 | 5.97% | 51,138 | 48,255 |
| Fleming County | 23 | 5.73% | 15,963 | 15,098 |
| Green County | 24 | 5.54% | 11,748 | 11,131 |
| Harrison County | 25 | 5.53% | 19,757 | 18,721 |
| Cumberland County | 26 | 5.5% | 6,181 | 5,859 |
| Hart County | 27 | 5.29% | 20,317 | 19,296 |
| Menifee County | 28 | 5.26% | 6,465 | 6,142 |
| Fayette County | 29 | 5.09% | 339,063 | 322,628 |
| Simpson County | 30 | 4.97% | 20,604 | 19,629 |
| Taylor County | 31 | 4.88% | 27,263 | 25,994 |
| Carroll County | 32 | 4.85% | 11,361 | 10,835 |
| Oldham County | 33 | 4.82% | 70,959 | 67,696 |
| Breckinridge County | 34 | 4.81% | 21,429 | 20,445 |
| Logan County | 35 | 4.78% | 28,831 | 27,515 |
| Barren County | 36 | 4.61% | 46,563 | 44,511 |
| Woodford County | 37 | 4.58% | 28,140 | 26,907 |
| Pulaski County | 38 | 4.57% | 68,088 | 65,112 |
| Grayson County | 39 | 4.32% | 27,598 | 26,456 |
| Russell County | 40 | 4.23% | 18,758 | 17,997 |
| Lincoln County | 41 | 4.15% | 25,254 | 24,248 |
| Jefferson County | 42 | 4.09% | 814,881 | 782,896 |
| Montgomery County | 43 | 4.08% | 29,251 | 28,105 |
| Franklin County | 44 | 4.01% | 53,674 | 51,603 |
| Boyle County | 45 | 4% | 31,990 | 30,761 |
| Metcalfe County | 46 | 3.88% | 10,684 | 10,285 |
| Butler County | 47 | 3.86% | 12,793 | 12,317 |
| Grant County | 48 | 3.84% | 25,974 | 25,014 |
| Clark County | 49 | 3.5% | 38,345 | 37,047 |
| Owen County | 50 | 3.41% | 11,687 | 11,302 |
| Meade County | 51 | 3.22% | 30,994 | 30,028 |
| Whitley County | 52 | 3.19% | 37,865 | 36,694 |
| Morgan County | 53 | 2.9% | 14,130 | 13,732 |
| Ohio County | 54 | 2.6% | 24,361 | 23,744 |
| Bracken County | 55 | 2.57% | 8,621 | 8,405 |
| Hardin County | 56 | 2.57% | 113,686 | 110,840 |
| Washington County | 57 | 2.12% | 12,293 | 12,038 |
| Daviess County | 58 | 2.05% | 105,517 | 103,398 |
| Lyon County | 59 | 2.03% | 8,854 | 8,678 |
| Graves County | 60 | 2.01% | 37,263 | 36,530 |
| Pendleton County | 61 | 1.89% | 14,924 | 14,647 |
| Rockcastle County | 62 | 1.7% | 16,336 | 16,063 |
| Bath County | 63 | 1.51% | 12,909 | 12,717 |
| Marion County | 64 | 1.42% | 19,873 | 19,594 |
| Bourbon County | 65 | 1.36% | 20,559 | 20,284 |
| Campbell County | 66 | 1.26% | 94,306 | 93,134 |
| Rowan County | 67 | 1.21% | 25,019 | 24,721 |
| Adair County | 68 | 1.19% | 19,105 | 18,881 |
| Gallatin County | 69 | 1.08% | 8,769 | 8,675 |
| McLean County | 70 | 1.02% | 9,226 | 9,133 |
| Laurel County | 71 | 0.99% | 63,355 | 62,735 |
| Casey County | 72 | 0.94% | 16,070 | 15,921 |
| Trimble County | 73 | 0.92% | 8,541 | 8,463 |
| Carlisle County | 74 | 0.87% | 4,847 | 4,805 |
| Hopkins County | 75 | 0.7% | 45,684 | 45,365 |
| Hancock County | 76 | 0.69% | 9,167 | 9,104 |
| Caldwell County | 77 | 0.59% | 12,711 | 12,636 |
| Wayne County | 78 | 0.43% | 19,627 | 19,543 |
| Webster County | 79 | 0.26% | 13,056 | 13,022 |
| Marshall County | 80 | 0.25% | 31,768 | 31,688 |
| Mason County | 81 | 0.1% | 17,154 | 17,137 |
| Estill County | 82 | -0.2% | 14,132 | 14,160 |
| McCracken County | 83 | -0.28% | 67,738 | 67,926 |
| Lee County | 84 | -0.37% | 7,337 | 7,364 |
| Clinton County | 85 | -0.38% | 9,193 | 9,228 |
| Crittenden County | 86 | -0.54% | 8,954 | 9,003 |
| Ballard County | 87 | -0.67% | 7,662 | 7,714 |
| Boyd County | 88 | -0.87% | 47,789 | 48,206 |
| Henderson County | 89 | -0.9% | 44,271 | 44,673 |
| Larue County | 90 | -1% | 14,728 | 14,877 |
| Elliott County | 91 | -1.2% | 7,247 | 7,335 |
| Muhlenberg County | 92 | -1.34% | 30,482 | 30,897 |
| Greenup County | 93 | -1.86% | 35,221 | 35,890 |
| Knox County | 94 | -2.19% | 29,525 | 30,185 |
| Livingston County | 95 | -2.31% | 8,667 | 8,872 |
| Powell County | 96 | -2.45% | 12,778 | 13,099 |
| Union County | 97 | -2.55% | 13,302 | 13,650 |
| Johnson County | 98 | -2.79% | 22,016 | 22,648 |
| Lewis County | 99 | -2.87% | 12,713 | 13,088 |
| Christian County | 100 | -3.02% | 70,548 | 72,748 |
| McCreary County | 101 | -3.07% | 16,334 | 16,852 |
| Carter County | 102 | -3.12% | 25,784 | 26,614 |
| Wolfe County | 103 | -3.13% | 6,352 | 6,557 |
| Monroe County | 104 | -3.3% | 10,947 | 11,320 |
| Clay County | 105 | -4.18% | 19,460 | 20,309 |
| Hickman County | 106 | -4.35% | 4,333 | 4,530 |
| Bell County | 107 | -5.19% | 22,737 | 23,982 |
| Lawrence County | 108 | -5.25% | 15,446 | 16,302 |
| Owsley County | 109 | -5.36% | 3,816 | 4,032 |
| Magoffin County | 110 | -5.64% | 10,950 | 11,605 |
| Floyd County | 111 | -6% | 33,654 | 35,802 |
| Fulton County | 112 | -6.47% | 6,090 | 6,511 |
| Pike County | 113 | -7.11% | 54,294 | 58,447 |
| Perry County | 114 | -8.16% | 26,053 | 28,369 |
| Harlan County | 115 | -8.24% | 24,552 | 26,758 |
| Knott County | 116 | -8.25% | 12,994 | 14,163 |
| Letcher County | 117 | -8.75% | 19,589 | 21,468 |
| Breathitt County | 118 | -8.85% | 12,488 | 13,701 |
| Martin County | 119 | -9.03% | 10,234 | 11,250 |
| Leslie County | 120 | -9.68% | 9,457 | 10,471 |
Kentucky's counties show varied growth patterns from 2020 to 2026. Warren County leads with 2.43% annualized growth, followed by Robertson County (2.13%) and Madison County (1.81%). The largest counties are Jefferson County (814,881), Fayette County (339,063), and Kenton County (180,090). Of the 120 counties in Kentucky, 81 are growing while 39 have experienced population decline. Overall, counties averaged 0.27% annualized growth, with total population growing by 0.57% annually.
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