Lawrence County Demographics

A map of Lawrence County's Population by Race

Lawrence County, Kentucky has an estimated population of 16,077, a slight decrease from the 16,293 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 96.6% White, 1.6% Multiracial, 1.3% Asian, 0.4% Hispanic, 0.1% Black, and 0.0% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Lawrence County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Lawrence 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 Lawrence County, that probability was 6.9% in 2020 and 6.6% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Lawrence County is ranked the 70th most populous county in Kentucky, out of 120 counties. Lawrence County was ranked the 69th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Lawrence County's White Population

15,538 residents of Lawrence County, or 96.6% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Lawrence County is significantly higher than in Kentucky overall, where 81.5% of the population is White. Lawrence County ranks 6th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lawrence County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.2%. White residents' share of Lawrence County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 96.6%.

Lawrence County is more White than neighboring Johnson County (93.9% White), Boyd County (92.2% White), Wayne County (95.7% White), Martin County (84.7% White), and Elliott County (92.5% White).

Lawrence County's Black Population

13 residents of Lawrence County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Lawrence County is lower than in Kentucky overall, where 7.6% of the population is Black. Lawrence County ranks 115th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lawrence County's Black population has declined by an estimated 63.9%. Black residents' share of Lawrence County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Lawrence County is less Black than neighboring Johnson County (0.6% Black), Boyd County (2.3% Black), Wayne County (1% Black), Martin County (7.8% Black), and Elliott County (3.4% Black).

Lawrence County's Asian Population

214 residents of Lawrence County, or 1.3% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Lawrence County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 1.6% of the population is Asian. Lawrence County ranks 100th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lawrence County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 830.4%. Asian residents' share of Lawrence County's population has increased from 0.1% to 1.3%.

Lawrence County is more Asian than neighboring Boyd County (0.4% Asian), Wayne County (0% Asian), Martin County (0% Asian), and Elliott County (0% Asian). Lawrence County is less Asian than neighboring Johnson County (1.4% Asian).

Lawrence County's Hispanic Population

59 residents of Lawrence County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Lawrence County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 5% of the population is Hispanic. Lawrence County ranks 107th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lawrence County's Hispanic population has declined by an estimated 60.1%. Hispanic residents' share of Lawrence County's population has decreased from 0.9% to 0.4%.

Lawrence County is less Hispanic than neighboring Johnson County (0.5% Hispanic), Boyd County (1.8% Hispanic), Wayne County (0.9% Hispanic), Martin County (1.7% Hispanic), and Elliott County (1.7% Hispanic).

Lawrence County's Native American/Other Population

1 residents of Lawrence County, or 0.0% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Lawrence County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Lawrence County ranks 112th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lawrence County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 96.8%. Native American/Other residents' share of Lawrence County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.0%.

Lawrence County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Johnson County (0.1% Native American/Other), Boyd County (0.2% Native American/Other), Wayne County (0.2% Native American/Other), Martin County (0.8% Native American/Other), and Elliott County (0.4% Native American/Other).

Lawrence County's Multiracial Population

252 residents of Lawrence County, or 1.6% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Lawrence County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Lawrence County ranks 106th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lawrence County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 24.6%. Multiracial residents' share of Lawrence County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.6%.

Lawrence County is less Multiracial than neighboring Johnson County (3.5% Multiracial), Boyd County (3.2% Multiracial), Wayne County (2.2% Multiracial), Martin County (5.1% Multiracial), and Elliott 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.