Bourbon County, Kentucky Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Bourbon County is located in Kentucky with a total population of 20,240. It is the 56th most populous county out of 120 in Kentucky. The county encompasses 3 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Bourbon County is 41.8 years. This is 7% higher than the state median of 39.1 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Bourbon County is $61,354. This is 4% lower than the state median of $63,726. It is also 24% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 14.2%. This is 11% lower than the state poverty rate of 16.1%. The unemployment rate is 4.2%. This is 14% lower than the state rate of 4.9%. The median home value is $229,300. Housing costs are 12% higher than the state median of $205,600. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.7x. 63.7% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 7% lower than the state average of 68.3%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Bourbon County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 83.4% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 7.8%. The Hispanic or Latino population is significantly higher than the state average (7.8% vs 5.0%). The Asian population (0.1%) is well below the state average of 1.6%.

Education

26.3% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 5% 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 87.9%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Bourbon 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.