Barren County, Kentucky Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Barren County is located in Kentucky with a total population of 44,938. It is the 24th most populous county out of 120 in Kentucky. The county encompasses 4 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Barren County is 39.8 years. This is 2% higher than the state median of 39.1 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Barren County is $50,628. This is 21% lower than the state median of $63,726. It is also 37% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 19.4%. This is 21% higher than the state poverty rate of 16.1%. The unemployment rate is 4.2%. This is 15% lower than the state rate of 4.9%. The median home value is $178,000. Housing costs are 13% lower than the state median of $205,600. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.5x. 65.2% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 5% lower than the state average of 68.3%.

Race & Ethnicity

Barren County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 87.4% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 4.4%.

Education

18.3% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 34% lower than the state rate of 27.6%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 86.9%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Barren County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, with comparisons drawn against Kentucky and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.