METRO AREA
Lexington Metro
Lexington-Fayette, KY · 6 counties · 535,174 residents (2025 est.) · 1,470 sq mi
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The short version
Lexington is home to 522,560 people. Few US metro areas rank higher on income. Growth has run 28% since 2000, or 114,234 more people. About 42% of adults have finished a four-year degree. The typical home is worth $281,872, having more than doubled since 2000. Owners hold 60% of the housing stock.
At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 36.8
US median: 38.9
More educated
42% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 45%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01
Population & growth
522,560
+28%since 2000
from 408,326 in 2000
535,174 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
1,470 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024523K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.7%(29,997)
5 to 96.1%(31,711)
10 to 146.3%(32,676)
15 to 196.9%(36,230)
20 to 248.7%(45,312)
25 to 3414.2%(74,006)
35 to 4413%(67,898)
45 to 5412%(62,787)
55 to 6411.7%(61,076)
65 to 749.4%(48,905)
75 to 844.6%(24,046)
85 and over1.5%(7,916)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$71,865
−3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $40,763 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
48.3%
+18.0 ptssince 2009
from 30.3% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade11.8%
Information11.4%
Wholesale trade5.4%
Finance & insurance5%
Other services4.8%
Professional, scientific, technical4.4%
Public administration3.3%
Transportation & warehousing2.1%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2.1%
Construction1.9%
Arts, entertainment, food1.2%
Education & health services0.6%
Manufacturing0.1%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$281,872
+45%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $106,376 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
3.9
+23%since 2009
from 3.2 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.
61
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic83.8%(342,002)
Black10.3%(41,996)
Hispanic / Latino2.7%(11,195)
Asian1.7%(6,890)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic73.8%(385,501)
Black10.5%(54,659)
Hispanic / Latino8.1%(42,264)
Asian3.1%(16,017)
Other4.6%(24,119)
53
+32%since 2009
from 40 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
33
−5%since 2020
from 35 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
Mexican5.1%(26,825)
Central American1%(5,405)
Puerto Rican0.5%(2,856)
South American0.5%(2,675)
Honduran0.5%(2,346)
Cuban0.4%(1,983)
Guatemalan0.4%(1,865)
Venezuelan0.2%(996)
Panamanian0.2%(749)
Spaniard0.2%(704)
Peruvian0.2%(550)
Colombian0.1%(496)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Costa Rican0.1%(234)
Chilean0.1%(234)
Dominican0.1%(211)
Argentine0.1%(204)
Ecuadorian0%(113)
Salvadoran0%(91)
Nicaraguan0%(64)
Bolivian0%(44)
Paraguayan0%(17)
Uruguayan0%(10)
Asian origin
Chinese0.7%(3,592)
Asian Indian0.6%(2,945)
Nepalese0.6%(2,212)
Korean0.3%(1,354)
Filipino0.3%(1,333)
Japanese0.3%(1,315)
Cambodian0.2%(801)
Vietnamese0.1%(574)
Taiwanese0.1%(374)
Pakistani0.1%(339)
Indonesian0%(183)
Bangladeshi0.1%(180)
Ancestry
English15.3%(80,069)
German11.9%(62,305)
Irish11.1%(57,966)
American9.8%(51,337)
Scottish2.4%(12,786)
Italian2.3%(12,050)
Scotch-Irish1.7%(8,807)
Subsaharan African1.6%(8,535)
French1.6%(8,125)
Polish1.1%(5,928)
Dutch0.8%(4,434)
Welsh0.7%(3,879)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
Arab0.7%(3,440)
British0.6%(3,016)
Norwegian0.5%(2,732)
Swedish0.5%(2,708)
Ukrainian0.5%(2,428)
French Canadian0.3%(1,489)
Hungarian0.3%(1,395)
Nigerian0.3%(1,341)
Russian0.2%(1,267)
West Indian0.2%(1,148)
Czech0.2%(1,117)
Iranian0.2%(967)
Swiss0.2%(851)
Canadian0.1%(739)
Portuguese0.1%(732)
Danish0.1%(719)
Ghanaian0.2%(705)
Greek0.1%(702)
Egyptian0.2%(627)
Lebanese0.1%(507)
Slovak0.1%(482)
Haitian0.1%(468)
Syrian0.1%(411)
Belgian0.1%(409)
Palestinian0.1%(398)
Bulgarian0.1%(362)
Lithuanian0.1%(353)
Jamaican0.1%(352)
Austrian0.1%(332)
Iraqi0.1%(316)
Brazilian0.1%(248)
Turkish0.1%(229)
Finnish0%(218)
Slovene0%(193)
Jordanian0.1%(191)
Romanian0%(182)
Kenyan0%(158)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(141)
Armenian0%(131)
Croatian0%(122)
Moroccan0%(91)
Ethiopian0%(84)
Australian0%(72)
Latvian0%(51)
Guyanese0%(34)
Serbian0%(23)
Macedonian0%(18)
Israeli0%(12)
Cape Verdean0%(11)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
91.7%
+8.6 ptssince 2000
from 83.2% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
75.9%
+0.4 ptssince 2020
from 75.5% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
96.3%
+2.9 ptssince 2020
from 93.4% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married37.2%(77,718)
Married49.7%(103,761)
Widowed2.3%(4,843)
Divorced10.7%(22,319)
Women 15+
Never married32.5%(71,271)
Married46.1%(101,182)
Widowed7.6%(16,768)
Divorced13.8%(30,314)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
11.5%
−1.1 ptssince 2020
from 12.6% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
2.3%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 2.5% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
69.2%
−2.2 ptssince 2020
from 71.3% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
36.5%
+2.0 ptssince 2020
from 34.5% 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)24.5%(5,560)
Gulf War (1990s)24%(5,447)
Vietnam era32.2%(7,312)
Korean War5.2%(1,170)
World War II0.7%(158)
Share of the 22,713 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
In this metro
Largest cities
What's inside
6 component counties
Drill deeper
Metros similar to Lexington
Killeen
Pop 511,497
Visalia
Pop 485,146
Chattanooga
Pop 594,530
Lansing
Pop 479,722
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Compare Lexington side by side
LEXINGTON VS
Killeen
Income$69,874−3%
Home value$233,598−17%
Population511,497−4%
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LEXINGTON VS
Visalia
Income$71,300−1%
Home value$330,100+17%
Population485,146−9%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LEXINGTON VS
Chattanooga
Income$72,439+1%
Home value$278,889−1%
Population594,530+11%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LEXINGTON VS
Lansing
Income$72,596+1%
Home value$213,204−24%
Population479,722−10%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked
How many people live in Lexington-Fayette, KY?
Lexington-Fayette, KY has about 522,560 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Lexington-Fayette, KY?
The typical household in Lexington-Fayette, KY earns about $71,865 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Lexington-Fayette, KY expensive?
In Lexington-Fayette, KY, the median home is worth about $281,872, and the typical rent is about $1,139 a month.
How educated are people in Lexington-Fayette, KY?
About 42.2% of adults age 25 and over in Lexington-Fayette, KY hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Lexington-Fayette, KY?
About 13.8% of people in Lexington-Fayette, KY live below the federal poverty line.
Has Lexington-Fayette, KY grown since 1990?
Yes, Lexington-Fayette, KY has grown since 1990. The population has added about 174,132 residents, a change of about 50 percent over that period.
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024