Lee County Demographics

A map of Lee County's Population by Race

Lee County, Kentucky has an estimated population of 7,339, a less than 1% change from the 7,395 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 93.4% White, 3.0% Black, 2.2% Multiracial, 1.1% Hispanic, 0.2% Native American/Other, and 0.0% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Lee County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Lee has become slightly less 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 Lee County, that probability was 13.1% in 2020 and 12.6% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Lee County is ranked the 111th most populous county in Kentucky, out of 120 counties. Lee County was ranked the 111th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Lee County's White Population

6,857 residents of Lee County, or 93.4% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Lee County is considerably higher than in Kentucky overall, where 81.5% of the population is White. Lee County ranks 41st statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lee County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Lee County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 93.4%.

Lee County is less White than neighboring Owsley County (95.5% White), Powell County (93.6% White), Wolfe County (95.1% White), Estill County (96% White), and Jackson County (96.2% White).

Lee County's Black Population

223 residents of Lee County, or 3.0% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Lee County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 7.6% of the population is Black. Lee County ranks 41st statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lee County's Black population has declined by an estimated 20.4%. Black residents' share of Lee County's population has decreased from 3.8% to 3.0%.

Lee County is more Black than neighboring Owsley County (0% Black), Powell County (2% Black), Wolfe County (0.2% Black), Estill County (0.1% Black), and Jackson County (0.2% Black).

Lee County's Asian Population

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

Since the 2020 Census, Lee County's Asian population has grown from 0 to an estimated 0. Asian residents' share of Lee County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.0%.

Lee County is less Asian than neighboring Owsley County (0.2% Asian), and Estill County (1% Asian).

Lee County's Hispanic Population

83 residents of Lee County, or 1.1% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Lee County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 5% of the population is Hispanic. Lee County ranks 112th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lee County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 38.3%. Hispanic residents' share of Lee County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.1%.

Lee County is more Hispanic than neighboring Owsley County (0.1% Hispanic), and Estill County (0.9% Hispanic). Lee County is less Hispanic than neighboring Powell County (1.6% Hispanic), and Wolfe County (1.6% Hispanic).

Lee County's Native American/Other Population

14 residents of Lee County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Lee County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Lee County ranks 99th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lee County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 30.0%. Native American/Other residents' share of Lee County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Lee County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Owsley County (0% Native American/Other), Estill County (0% Native American/Other), and Jackson County (0.1% Native American/Other). Lee County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Powell County (0.8% Native American/Other), and Wolfe County (0.5% Native American/Other).

Lee County's Multiracial Population

162 residents of Lee County, or 2.2% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Lee County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Lee County ranks 110th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lee County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 9.5%. Multiracial residents' share of Lee County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.2%.

Lee County is more Multiracial than neighboring Powell County (1.9% Multiracial), and Estill County (2% Multiracial). Lee County is less Multiracial than neighboring Owsley County (4.3% Multiracial), Wolfe County (2.7% Multiracial), and Jackson County (2.4% 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.