With 19,602 people, Wayne County is a county in Kentucky. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 14% of adults. The typical home is worth $135,700, having roughly tripled since 2000. The poverty rate is 24.8%, above the 12.5% national rate. The median age is 43.8, about 5 years above the US median. The foreign-born share is 2%.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $45,739, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 43.8
US median: 38.9
Less educated
14% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 69%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Wayne County
What changed most since 1990
Poverty rate37.3% → 24.8%(−12.5 pts)US over the same years: −0.8 pts
White share97.6% → 91.4%(−6.2 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Homes owned by their occupants76.0% → 69.1%(−6.8 pts)US over the same years: +0.9 pts
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)17.1%(168)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)27.8%(273)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era33%(324)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3%(29)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 983 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
Over time
Wayne County, decade by decade
Wayne County population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
17,468
$30,145
$69,842
5.5%
5.9
2000
19,923
$38,005
$80,153
7.2%
9.4
2010
20,813
$37,393
$101,563
9.0%
14.1
2020
19,555
$45,667
$109,447
13.3%
20.3
2024
19,602
$45,739
$135,700
13.9%
20.2
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
