Bell County Demographics

A map of Bell County's Population by Race

Bell County, Kentucky has an estimated population of 23,509, a slight decrease from the 24,097 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 92.6% White, 3.2% Multiracial, 3.0% Black, 0.5% Hispanic, 0.5% Native American/Other, and 0.3% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Bell County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Bell is about as racially diverse as it was in the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Kentucky overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Bell County, that probability was 14.1% in 2020 and 14.1% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Bell County is ranked the 50th most populous county in Kentucky, out of 120 counties. Bell County was ranked the 48th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Bell County's White Population

21,769 residents of Bell County, or 92.6% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Bell County is considerably higher than in Kentucky overall, where 81.5% of the population is White. Bell County ranks 47th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bell County's White population has declined by an estimated 2.4%. White residents' share of Bell County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 92.6%.

Bell County is more White than neighboring Clay County (91.3% White). Bell County is less White than neighboring Knox County (95% White), Claiborne County (94% White), Leslie County (96.5% White), and Whitley County (94.4% White).

Bell County's Black Population

705 residents of Bell County, or 3.0% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Bell County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 7.6% of the population is Black. Bell County ranks 56th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bell County's Black population has grown by an estimated 27.7%. Black residents' share of Bell County's population has increased from 2.3% to 3.0%.

Bell County is more Black than neighboring Knox County (1% Black), Claiborne County (0.6% Black), Leslie County (0.2% Black), and Whitley County (1.1% Black). Bell County is less Black than neighboring Clay County (3.9% Black).

Bell County's Asian Population

61 residents of Bell County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Bell County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 1.6% of the population is Asian. Bell County ranks 40th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bell County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 50.0%. Asian residents' share of Bell County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Bell County is more Asian than neighboring Knox County (0.2% Asian), Clay County (0.1% Asian), and Leslie County (0.1% Asian). Bell County is less Asian than neighboring Claiborne County (0.6% Asian).

Bell County's Hispanic Population

114 residents of Bell County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Bell County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 5% of the population is Hispanic. Bell County ranks 101st statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bell County's Hispanic population has declined by an estimated 53.3%. Hispanic residents' share of Bell County's population has decreased from 1.0% to 0.5%.

Bell County is more Hispanic than neighboring Leslie County (0.1% Hispanic). Bell County is less Hispanic than neighboring Knox County (1.3% Hispanic), Claiborne County (1.7% Hispanic), Clay County (2.1% Hispanic), and Whitley County (2.1% Hispanic).

Bell County's Native American/Other Population

107 residents of Bell County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Bell County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Bell County ranks 72nd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bell County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 13.8%. Native American/Other residents' share of Bell County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Bell County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Knox County (0% Native American/Other), Claiborne County (0.2% Native American/Other), Clay County (0.2% Native American/Other), Leslie County (0% Native American/Other), and Whitley County (0.2% Native American/Other).

Bell County's Multiracial Population

753 residents of Bell County, or 3.2% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Bell County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Bell County ranks 64th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bell County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 2.7%. Multiracial residents' share of Bell County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.2%.

Bell County is more Multiracial than neighboring Knox County (2.4% Multiracial), Claiborne County (2.9% Multiracial), Clay County (2.5% Multiracial), Leslie County (3.1% Multiracial), and Whitley County (2% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.