Bourbon County Demographics

A map of Bourbon County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	16,877	16,770	83.4%	82.8%
Hispanic	1,569	1,486	7.8%	7.3%
Black	1,001	1,033	4.9%	5.1%
Multiracial	686	780	3.4%	3.9%
Native American/Other	81	106	0.4%	0.5%
Asian	26	77	0.1%	0.4%

Bourbon County, Kentucky has an estimated population of 20,240, a less than 1% change from the 20,252 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 83.4% White, 7.8% Hispanic, 4.9% Black, 3.4% Multiracial, 0.4% Native American/Other, and 0.1% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Bourbon County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Bourbon has become slightly less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is 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 Bourbon County, that probability was 30.5% in 2020 and 29.5% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Bourbon County is ranked the 56th most populous county in Kentucky, out of 120 counties. Bourbon County was ranked the 57th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Bourbon County's White Population

16,877 residents of Bourbon County, or 83.4% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Bourbon County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 81.5% of the population is White. Bourbon County ranks 109th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bourbon County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Bourbon County's population has increased from 82.8% to 83.4%.

Bourbon County is more White than neighboring Fayette County (66.7% White). Bourbon County is less White than neighboring Nicholas County (95.5% White), Clark County (88.1% White), Harrison County (93.3% White), and Montgomery County (91.6% White).

Bourbon County's Black Population

1,001 residents of Bourbon County, or 4.9% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Bourbon County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 7.6% of the population is Black. Bourbon County ranks 26th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bourbon County's Black population has declined by an estimated 3.1%. Black residents' share of Bourbon County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 4.9%.

Bourbon County is more Black than neighboring Nicholas County (1.2% Black), Clark County (2.8% Black), Harrison County (1.7% Black), and Montgomery County (1.3% Black). Bourbon County is less Black than neighboring Fayette County (14.4% Black).

Bourbon County's Asian Population

26 residents of Bourbon County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Bourbon County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 1.6% of the population is Asian. Bourbon County ranks 50th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bourbon County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 66.2%. Asian residents' share of Bourbon County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Bourbon County is more Asian than neighboring Nicholas County (0% Asian). Bourbon County is less Asian than neighboring Clark County (0.7% Asian), Fayette County (4.3% Asian), and Montgomery County (0.5% Asian).

Bourbon County's Hispanic Population

1,569 residents of Bourbon County, or 7.8% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Bourbon County is slightly higher than in Kentucky overall, where 5% of the population is Hispanic. Bourbon County ranks 8th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bourbon County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 5.6%. Hispanic residents' share of Bourbon County's population has increased from 7.3% to 7.8%.

Bourbon County is more Hispanic than neighboring Nicholas County (1% Hispanic), Clark County (4.1% Hispanic), Harrison County (2.3% Hispanic), and Montgomery County (3.5% Hispanic). Bourbon County is less Hispanic than neighboring Fayette County (9.5% Hispanic).

Bourbon County's Native American/Other Population

81 residents of Bourbon County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Bourbon County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Bourbon County ranks 32nd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bourbon County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 23.6%. Native American/Other residents' share of Bourbon County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Bourbon County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Nicholas County (0% Native American/Other), Clark County (0.3% Native American/Other), Harrison County (0.2% Native American/Other), and Fayette County (0.3% Native American/Other). Bourbon County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Montgomery County (0.5% Native American/Other).

Bourbon County's Multiracial Population

686 residents of Bourbon County, or 3.4% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Bourbon County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Bourbon County ranks 37th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bourbon County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 12.1%. Multiracial residents' share of Bourbon County's population has decreased from 3.9% to 3.4%.

Bourbon County is more Multiracial than neighboring Nicholas County (2.3% Multiracial), Harrison County (2.4% Multiracial), and Montgomery County (2.6% Multiracial). Bourbon County is less Multiracial than neighboring Clark County (3.9% Multiracial), and Fayette County (4.7% 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.