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COUNTY

Breckinridge County

Kentucky · 21,503 residents (2025 est.) · 570 sq mi
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The short version

With 20,881 people, Breckinridge County is a county in Kentucky. 14% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. Owners hold 81% of the housing stock. 1% of residents were born outside the United States. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $156,700. 21.4% of residents live below the federal poverty line.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 42.5
US median: 38.9
Less educated
14% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 41%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
20,881
+12%since 2000
from 18,648 in 2000
21,503 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
37 / sq mi
+10%since 2009
from 33 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
42.5
+10%since 2000
from 38.5 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
570 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
16K17K19K20K21K19902000201020202024Breckinridge County
202421K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.1%(1,277)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.3%(1,309)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.4%(1,339)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.6%(1,388)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.4%(1,128)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3410.6%(2,203)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.2%(2,334)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.4%(2,584)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414.6%(3,059)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7412.8%(2,680)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.5%(1,152)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2%(428)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$55,843
Unchangedinflation adjusted, since 2000
from $30,554 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$30,854
+100%since 2000
from $15,402 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
39.7%
+20.4 ptssince 2009
from 19.3% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
21.4%
+5.5 ptssince 2000
from 15.8% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.471
+12%since 2010
from 0.419 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade20.3%
US avg: 9.9%
Information12.6%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade9%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services5.1%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance4.9%
US avg: 5.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing4.5%
US avg: 1.6%
Public administration4.5%
US avg: 4.8%
Professional, scientific, technical4.2%
US avg: 5.1%
Construction3%
US avg: 1.2%
Transportation & warehousing2.4%
US avg: 2.2%
Manufacturing1.6%
US avg: 0.4%
Arts, entertainment, food0.8%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$156,700
+41%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $61,100 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$733
+12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $360 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
81.4%
−0.3 ptssince 2000
from 81.7% in 2000
18.6% rent
Vacancy rate
25.3%
−4.7 ptssince 2009
from 30.0% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.55 people
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.56 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
17.7%
−3.5 ptssince 2009
from 21.2% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
31.6%
−4.1 ptssince 2009
from 35.7% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.8
+30%since 2009
from 2.2 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
58
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic95.4%(17,787)
Black2.8%(520)
Hispanic / Latino0.7%(134)
Asian0.1%(14)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic92.7%(19,367)
Black1.9%(389)
Hispanic / Latino1.7%(350)
Asian0%(0)
Other3.7%(775)
Diversity Score
17
+40%since 2009
from 12 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
27
+36%since 2020
from 20 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican1.2%(249)
Ecuadorian0.4%(75)
Puerto Rican0.1%(18)
Pacific Islander origin
Ancestry
English17%(3,544)
American15.7%(3,288)
Irish13%(2,713)
German12.6%(2,621)
Scottish1.7%(359)
Italian0.8%(160)
Dutch0.7%(139)
Latvian0.6%(129)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(98)
Polish0.3%(59)
Norwegian0.2%(42)
Canadian0.2%(37)
+ 15 more ancestry groups with data
British0.1%(30)
French0.1%(28)
Welsh0.1%(26)
Hungarian0.1%(22)
Swiss0.1%(22)
Swedish0.1%(20)
Danish0.1%(17)
Austrian0.1%(15)
Arab0.1%(14)
Lebanese0.1%(14)
Iranian0.1%(11)
Nigerian0.1%(11)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
14.2%
+6.7 ptssince 2000
from 7.4% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
85.9%
+17.0 ptssince 2000
from 68.9% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
4.7%
+0.4 ptssince 2000
from 4.2% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
32.7 min
+29%since 2000
from 25.4 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
81.5%
+3.3 ptssince 2009
from 78.2% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
9.7%
−2.8 ptssince 2009
from 12.5% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
1.1%
+1.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
3.8%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 5.2% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.3%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.2% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.0%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
4.2%
−1.7 ptssince 2009
from 5.8% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.5%
−9.3 ptssince 2011
from 13.8% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
52.7%
−1.3 ptssince 2011
from 54.0% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
60.6%
+1.4 ptssince 2020
from 59.2% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
14.0%
+1.7 ptssince 2009
from 12.3% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
25.9%
+1.6 ptssince 2009
from 24.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 50.4% in 2009
Female
49.5%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 49.6% in 2009
Foreign born
0.6%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
8.6%
−2.1 ptssince 2009
from 10.7% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
22.0%
+1.8 ptssince 2012
from 20.2% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
7.0%
−12.3 ptssince 2013
from 19.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
83.9%
+19.4 ptssince 2017
from 64.5% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
89.1%
+7.1 ptssince 2020
from 82.0% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
92.5%
+3.0 ptssince 2020
from 89.5% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
96.6%
−0.4 ptssince 2016
from 97.0% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
0.8%
−0.4 ptssince 2016
from 1.2% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married27.7%(2,347)
Married56.2%(4,769)
Widowed4.6%(392)
Divorced11.5%(980)
Women 15+
Never married20.1%(1,699)
Married54.1%(4,579)
Widowed11.6%(980)
Divorced14.3%(1,210)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
7.0%
−12.3 ptssince 2013
from 19.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
49.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 49.3% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
11.9%
−1.6 ptssince 2020
from 13.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
24.5%
+0.3 ptssince 2020
from 24.2% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
32.2%
+2.3 ptssince 2020
from 29.9% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.3%
−1.2 ptssince 2020
from 4.5% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
58.9%
−3.6 ptssince 2020
from 62.5% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
50.6%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 49.4% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)18%(249)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)17.3%(240)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era43.8%(606)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2.9%(40)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 1,384 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Breckinridge County to nearby counties

BRECKINRIDGE COUNTY VS
Meade County
Income$74,355+33%
Home value$207,900+33%
Population30,699+43%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BRECKINRIDGE COUNTY VS
Hancock County
Income$65,464+17%
Home value$141,200−10%
Population9,050−58%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BRECKINRIDGE COUNTY VS
Grayson County
Income$50,757−9%
Home value$164,600+5%
Population27,406+27%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BRECKINRIDGE COUNTY VS
Perry County
Income$61,151+10%
Home value$163,400+4%
Population19,389−10%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Breckinridge County, Kentucky?

Breckinridge County, Kentucky has about 20,881 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Breckinridge County, Kentucky?

The typical household in Breckinridge County, Kentucky earns about $55,843 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Breckinridge County, Kentucky expensive?

In Breckinridge County, Kentucky, the median home is worth about $156,700, and the typical rent is about $733 a month.

How educated are people in Breckinridge County, Kentucky?

About 14.2% of adults age 25 and over in Breckinridge County, Kentucky hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Breckinridge County, Kentucky?

About 21.4% of people in Breckinridge County, Kentucky live below the federal poverty line.

Has Breckinridge County, Kentucky grown since 1990?

Yes, Breckinridge County, Kentucky has grown since 1990. The population has added about 4,569 residents, a change of about 28 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →