Graves County Demographics

A map of Graves County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	30,713	30,527	83.8%	83.3%
Hispanic	2,983	2,773	8.1%	7.6%
Black	1,525	1,551	4.2%	4.2%
Multiracial	1,116	1,450	3.0%	4.0%
Asian	164	173	0.4%	0.5%
Native American/Other	129	175	0.4%	0.5%

Graves County, Kentucky has an estimated population of 36,630, a less than 1% change from the 36,649 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 83.8% White, 8.1% Hispanic, 4.2% Black, 3.0% Multiracial, 0.4% Asian, and 0.4% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Graves County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Graves 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 Graves County, that probability was 29.7% in 2020 and 28.8% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Graves County is ranked the 29th most populous county in Kentucky, out of 120 counties. Graves County was ranked the 29th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Graves County's White Population

30,713 residents of Graves County, or 83.8% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Graves County is slightly higher than in Kentucky overall, where 81.5% of the population is White. Graves County ranks 106th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Graves County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Graves County's population has increased from 83.3% to 83.8%.

Graves County is more White than neighboring McCracken County (81.1% White). Graves County is less White than neighboring Hickman County (85.6% White), Carlisle County (90% White), Marshall County (95.4% White), and Calloway County (86.9% White).

Graves County's Black Population

1,525 residents of Graves County, or 4.2% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Graves County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 7.6% of the population is Black. Graves County ranks 35th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Graves County's Black population has declined by an estimated 1.7%. Black residents' share of Graves County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 4.2%.

Graves County is more Black than neighboring Carlisle County (1.5% Black), Marshall County (0.6% Black), and Calloway County (4% Black). Graves County is less Black than neighboring Hickman County (8.2% Black), and McCracken County (9.7% Black).

Graves County's Asian Population

164 residents of Graves County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Graves County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 1.6% of the population is Asian. Graves County ranks 42nd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Graves County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 5.2%. Asian residents' share of Graves County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Graves County is more Asian than neighboring Hickman County (0.3% Asian), and Carlisle County (0.1% Asian). Graves County is less Asian than neighboring McCracken County (0.9% Asian), and Calloway County (1.8% Asian).

Graves County's Hispanic Population

2,983 residents of Graves County, or 8.1% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Graves County is slightly higher than in Kentucky overall, where 5% of the population is Hispanic. Graves County ranks 4th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Graves County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 7.6%. Hispanic residents' share of Graves County's population has increased from 7.6% to 8.1%.

Graves County is more Hispanic than neighboring Hickman County (2.6% Hispanic), McCracken County (3.4% Hispanic), Carlisle County (3.2% Hispanic), Marshall County (2% Hispanic), and Calloway County (3.7% Hispanic).

Graves County's Native American/Other Population

129 residents of Graves 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 Graves County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Graves County ranks 45th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Graves County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 26.3%. Native American/Other residents' share of Graves County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Graves County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Hickman County (0.2% Native American/Other), and Marshall County (0.2% Native American/Other). Graves County is less Native American/Other than neighboring McCracken County (0.6% Native American/Other), and Calloway County (0.9% Native American/Other).

Graves County's Multiracial Population

1,116 residents of Graves County, or 3.0% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Graves County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Graves County ranks 34th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Graves County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 23.0%. Multiracial residents' share of Graves County's population has decreased from 4.0% to 3.0%.

Graves County is more Multiracial than neighboring Marshall County (1.5% Multiracial), and Calloway County (2.8% Multiracial). Graves County is less Multiracial than neighboring Hickman County (3.2% Multiracial), McCracken County (4.2% Multiracial), and Carlisle County (4.9% 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.