Jackson County Demographics

A map of Jackson County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	12,587	12,509	96.2%	96.6%
Multiracial	311	268	2.4%	2.1%
Hispanic	142	96	1.1%	0.7%
Black	21	12	0.2%	0.1%
Native American/Other	19	51	0.1%	0.4%
Asian	6	19	0.0%	0.1%

Jackson County, Kentucky has an estimated population of 13,086, a slight increase from the 12,955 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 96.2% White, 2.4% Multiracial, 1.1% Hispanic, 0.2% Black, 0.1% Native American/Other, and 0.0% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Jackson County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Jackson 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 Jackson County, that probability was 6.7% in 2020 and 7.4% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Jackson County is ranked the 82nd most populous county in Kentucky, out of 120 counties. Jackson County was ranked the 85th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Jackson County's White Population

12,587 residents of Jackson County, or 96.2% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Jackson County is considerably higher than in Kentucky overall, where 81.5% of the population is White. Jackson County ranks 5th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jackson County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Jackson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 96.2%.

Jackson County is more White than neighboring Estill County (96% White), Rockcastle County (95.3% White), Owsley County (95.5% White), Laurel County (94.8% White), and Lee County (93.4% White).

Jackson County's Black Population

21 residents of Jackson County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Jackson County is lower than in Kentucky overall, where 7.6% of the population is Black. Jackson County ranks 120th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jackson County's Black population has grown by an estimated 75.0%. Black residents' share of Jackson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Jackson County is more Black than neighboring Estill County (0.1% Black), and Owsley County (0% Black). Jackson County is less Black than neighboring Rockcastle County (0.6% Black), Laurel County (0.6% Black), and Lee County (3% Black).

Jackson County's Asian Population

6 residents of Jackson County, or 0.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Jackson County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 1.6% of the population is Asian. Jackson County ranks 97th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jackson County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 68.4%. Asian residents' share of Jackson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.0%.

Jackson County is less Asian than neighboring Estill County (1% Asian), Rockcastle County (0.1% Asian), Owsley County (0.2% Asian), and Laurel County (0.3% Asian).

Jackson County's Hispanic Population

142 residents of Jackson County, or 1.1% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Jackson County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 5% of the population is Hispanic. Jackson County ranks 114th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jackson County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 47.9%. Hispanic residents' share of Jackson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.1%.

Jackson County is more Hispanic than neighboring Estill County (0.9% Hispanic), and Owsley County (0.1% Hispanic). Jackson County is less Hispanic than neighboring Rockcastle County (1.3% Hispanic), and Laurel County (1.7% Hispanic).

Jackson County's Native American/Other Population

19 residents of Jackson 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 Jackson County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Jackson County ranks 71st statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jackson County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 62.7%. Native American/Other residents' share of Jackson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Jackson County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Estill County (0% Native American/Other), and Owsley County (0% Native American/Other). Jackson County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Rockcastle County (0.6% Native American/Other), Laurel County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Lee County (0.2% Native American/Other).

Jackson County's Multiracial Population

311 residents of Jackson County, or 2.4% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Jackson County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Jackson County ranks 105th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jackson County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 16.0%. Multiracial residents' share of Jackson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.4%.

Jackson County is more Multiracial than neighboring Estill County (2% Multiracial), Rockcastle County (2.1% Multiracial), Laurel County (2.3% Multiracial), and Lee County (2.2% Multiracial). Jackson County is less Multiracial than neighboring Owsley County (4.3% 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.