Carter County Demographics

A map of Carter County's Population by Race

Carter County, Kentucky has an estimated population of 26,341, a slight decrease from the 26,627 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 95.2% White, 3.3% Multiracial, 0.9% Hispanic, 0.3% Black, 0.3% Asian, and 0.1% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Carter County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Carter has become slightly more racially diverse since 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 Carter County, that probability was 8.8% in 2020 and 9.3% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Carter County is ranked the 43rd most populous county in Kentucky, out of 120 counties. Carter County was ranked the 42nd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Carter County's White Population

25,069 residents of Carter County, or 95.2% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Carter County is considerably higher than in Kentucky overall, where 81.5% of the population is White. Carter County ranks 16th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Carter County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.4%. White residents' share of Carter County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 95.2%.

Carter County is more White than neighboring Elliott County (92.5% White), Greenup County (94.8% White), Boyd County (92.2% White), and Rowan County (93.5% White). Carter County is less White than neighboring Lewis County (96.9% White).

Carter County's Black Population

74 residents of Carter County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Carter County is lower than in Kentucky overall, where 7.6% of the population is Black. Carter County ranks 87th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Carter County's Black population has declined by an estimated 64.6%. Black residents' share of Carter County's population has decreased from 0.8% to 0.3%.

Carter County is less Black than neighboring Elliott County (3.4% Black), Greenup County (0.7% Black), Boyd County (2.3% Black), Rowan County (1.4% Black), and Lewis County (0.5% Black).

Carter County's Asian Population

70 residents of Carter County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Carter County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 1.6% of the population is Asian. Carter County ranks 80th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Carter County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 20.7%. Asian residents' share of Carter County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Carter County is more Asian than neighboring Elliott County (0% Asian), and Lewis County (0.2% Asian). Carter County is less Asian than neighboring Greenup County (0.6% Asian), Boyd County (0.4% Asian), and Rowan County (0.8% Asian).

Carter County's Hispanic Population

227 residents of Carter County, or 0.9% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Carter County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 5% of the population is Hispanic. Carter County ranks 103rd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Carter County's Hispanic population has declined by an estimated 10.6%. Hispanic residents' share of Carter County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.9%.

Carter County is more Hispanic than neighboring Lewis County (0.1% Hispanic). Carter County is less Hispanic than neighboring Elliott County (1.7% Hispanic), Greenup County (1.2% Hispanic), Boyd County (1.8% Hispanic), and Rowan County (2.4% Hispanic).

Carter County's Native American/Other Population

30 residents of Carter County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Carter County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Carter County ranks 95th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Carter County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 61.0%. Native American/Other residents' share of Carter County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Carter County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Elliott County (0.4% Native American/Other), Boyd County (0.2% Native American/Other), and Lewis County (0.4% Native American/Other).

Carter County's Multiracial Population

871 residents of Carter County, or 3.3% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Carter County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Carter County ranks 96th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Carter County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 44.2%. Multiracial residents' share of Carter County's population has increased from 2.3% to 3.3%.

Carter County is more Multiracial than neighboring Elliott County (2% Multiracial), Greenup County (2.6% Multiracial), Boyd County (3.2% Multiracial), Rowan County (1.8% Multiracial), and Lewis County (1.9% 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.