Meade County Demographics

A map of Meade County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	26,533	25,912	88.0%	86.4%
Hispanic	1,280	1,133	4.2%	3.8%
Black	1,002	952	3.3%	3.2%
Multiracial	998	1,463	3.3%	4.9%
Asian	194	217	0.6%	0.7%
Native American/Other	151	326	0.5%	1.1%

Meade County, Kentucky has an estimated population of 30,158, a less than 1% change from the 30,003 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 88.0% White, 4.2% Hispanic, 3.3% Black, 3.3% Multiracial, 0.6% Asian, and 0.5% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Meade County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Meade has become 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 Meade County, that probability was 24.9% in 2020 and 22.2% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Meade County is ranked the 35th most populous county in Kentucky, out of 120 counties. Meade County was ranked the 36th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Meade County's White Population

26,533 residents of Meade County, or 88.0% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Meade County is higher than in Kentucky overall, where 81.5% of the population is White. Meade County ranks 90th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Meade County's White population has grown by an estimated 2.4%. White residents' share of Meade County's population has increased from 86.4% to 88.0%.

Meade County is more White than neighboring Hardin County (74.4% White). Meade County is less White than neighboring Harrison County (94.2% White), Breckinridge County (92.7% White), Crawford County (95.3% White), and Perry County (92.5% White).

Meade County's Black Population

1,002 residents of Meade County, or 3.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Meade County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 7.6% of the population is Black. Meade County ranks 49th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Meade County's Black population has grown by an estimated 5.3%. Black residents' share of Meade County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.3%.

Meade County is more Black than neighboring Harrison County (0.8% Black), Breckinridge County (1.9% Black), Crawford County (0.2% Black), and Perry County (2.1% Black). Meade County is less Black than neighboring Hardin County (10.7% Black).

Meade County's Asian Population

194 residents of Meade County, or 0.6% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Meade County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 1.6% of the population is Asian. Meade County ranks 21st statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Meade County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 10.6%. Asian residents' share of Meade County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.6%.

Meade County is more Asian than neighboring Breckinridge County (0% Asian), and Crawford County (0% Asian). Meade County is less Asian than neighboring Harrison County (0.7% Asian), and Hardin County (2.2% Asian).

Meade County's Hispanic Population

1,280 residents of Meade County, or 4.2% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Meade County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 5% of the population is Hispanic. Meade County ranks 30th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Meade County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 13.0%. Hispanic residents' share of Meade County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 4.2%.

Meade County is more Hispanic than neighboring Harrison County (2.4% Hispanic), Breckinridge County (1.7% Hispanic), Crawford County (1.6% Hispanic), and Perry County (1.6% Hispanic). Meade County is less Hispanic than neighboring Hardin County (6.5% Hispanic).

Meade County's Native American/Other Population

151 residents of Meade County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Meade County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Meade County ranks 3rd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Meade County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 53.7%. Native American/Other residents' share of Meade County's population has decreased from 1.1% to 0.5%.

Meade County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Harrison County (0.3% Native American/Other), Crawford County (0.1% Native American/Other), and Perry County (0.3% Native American/Other). Meade County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Breckinridge County (0.6% Native American/Other).

Meade County's Multiracial Population

998 residents of Meade County, or 3.3% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Meade County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Meade County ranks 5th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Meade County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 31.8%. Multiracial residents' share of Meade County's population has decreased from 4.9% to 3.3%.

Meade County is more Multiracial than neighboring Harrison County (1.6% Multiracial), Breckinridge County (3.2% Multiracial), Crawford County (2.8% Multiracial), and Perry County (2.9% Multiracial). Meade County is less Multiracial than neighboring Hardin County (5.7% 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.