Lincoln County, Kentucky

History

Lincoln County—originally Lincoln County, Virginia—was established by the Virginia General Assembly in June 1780, and named in honor of Revolutionary War general Benjamin Lincoln. It was one of three counties formed out of Virginia's Kentucky County (The other two were Fayette and Jefferson), and is one of Kentucky's nine original counties.

The county's original seat was at Harrodsburg; but in 1785, Lincoln County was partitioned, and Harrodsburg became the seat of the new Mercer County. Afterward, Stanford became Lincoln County's permanent seat.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 337 sqmi, of which 334 sqmi is land and 2.5 sqmi (0.7%) is water.

Lincoln County is located in south-central Kentucky astride the southern part of the ring of Knobs, which separate the Bluegrass region from the Eastern Pennyroyal Plateau, the Lincoln County part of which includes the source and headwaters of the Green River. Lincoln County is part of Appalachia.

Adjacent counties

• Boyle County (northwest)
• Garrard County (northeast)
• Rockcastle County (east)
• Pulaski County (south)
• Casey County (west)

Demographics

| align-fn = center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 24,275. The median age was 42.3 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.5 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 93.4% White, 1.9% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.0% of the population.

0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 99.9% lived in rural areas.

There were 9,711 households in the county, of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 10,777 housing units, of which 9.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.9% were owner-occupied and 25.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.1%.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 23,361 people, 9,206 households, and 6,729 families residing in the county. The population density was 70 /sqmi. There were 10,127 housing units at an average density of 30 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 94.2% White, 2.53% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.38% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. 0.89% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 9,206 households, out of which 33.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.60% were married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.90% were non-families. 23.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.95.

By age, 25.70% of the population was under 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.10% were 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,833, and the median income for a family was $32,284. Males had a median income of $26,395 versus $20,517 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,602. About 16.40% of families and 21.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.10% of those under age 18 and 22.90% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Crab Orchard
• Eubank (shared with Pulaski County)
• Hustonville
• Junction City (mostly in Boyle County)
• Stanford (county seat)

Census-designated place

• McKinney

Other unincorporated places

• Blue Lick
• Chicken Bristle
• Dog Walk
• Halls Gap
• Highland
• Hubble
• Jumbo
• Kings Mountain
• Miracle
• Moreland
• Ottenheim
• Preachersville
• Rowland
• Turkeytown
• Walnut Flat
• Waynesburg

Politics

Lincoln County has been reliably Republican for several decades now, last voting for a Democratic candidate for president in 1976.

Elected officials

Education

There is one school district, the Lincoln County School District.

References

References

1. "Lincoln County, Kentucky".
2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. (1903). "The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 1". Kentucky State Historical Society.
5. Collins, Lewis. (1877). "History of Kentucky".
6. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
9. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
11. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024". United States Census Bureau.
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
14. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
15. https://datausa.io/profile/geo/lincoln-county-ky/
16. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
17. . ["Senate Members - County"](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/Legislators/smembers_county.html). *[[Kentucky General Assembly]]*.
18. . ["House Members - County"](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/Legislators/hmembers_county.html). *[[Kentucky General Assembly]]*.
19. Geography Division. (December 26, 2020). "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Lincoln County, KY". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].