Mercer County Demographics

A map of Mercer County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	20,716	20,100	90.0%	88.8%
Hispanic	779	703	3.4%	3.1%
Black	722	748	3.1%	3.3%
Multiracial	716	880	3.1%	3.9%
Native American/Other	52	136	0.2%	0.6%
Asian	43	74	0.2%	0.3%

Mercer County, Kentucky has an estimated population of 23,028, a slight increase from the 22,641 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 90.0% White, 3.4% Hispanic, 3.1% Black, 3.1% Multiracial, 0.2% Asian, and 0.2% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Mercer County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Mercer 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 Mercer County, that probability was 20.8% in 2020 and 18.8% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Mercer County is ranked the 51st most populous county in Kentucky, out of 120 counties. Mercer County was ranked the 52nd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Mercer County's White Population

20,716 residents of Mercer County, or 90.0% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Mercer County is higher than in Kentucky overall, where 81.5% of the population is White. Mercer County ranks 79th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mercer County's White population has grown by an estimated 3.1%. White residents' share of Mercer County's population has increased from 88.8% to 90.0%.

Mercer County is more White than neighboring Boyle County (82.7% White), Woodford County (84.4% White), Jessamine County (85.5% White), and Washington County (87.4% White). Mercer County is less White than neighboring Anderson County (91.8% White).

Mercer County's Black Population

722 residents of Mercer County, or 3.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Mercer County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 7.6% of the population is Black. Mercer County ranks 47th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mercer County's Black population has declined by an estimated 3.5%. Black residents' share of Mercer County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.1%.

Mercer County is more Black than neighboring Anderson County (2.1% Black). Mercer County is less Black than neighboring Boyle County (7% Black), Woodford County (3.8% Black), Jessamine County (4% Black), and Washington County (4.6% Black).

Mercer County's Asian Population

43 residents of Mercer County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Mercer County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 1.6% of the population is Asian. Mercer County ranks 56th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mercer County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 41.9%. Asian residents' share of Mercer County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Mercer County is less Asian than neighboring Boyle County (0.8% Asian), Anderson County (0.3% Asian), Woodford County (0.4% Asian), Jessamine County (1.8% Asian), and Washington County (0.6% Asian).

Mercer County's Hispanic Population

779 residents of Mercer County, or 3.4% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Mercer County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 5% of the population is Hispanic. Mercer County ranks 42nd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mercer County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 10.8%. Hispanic residents' share of Mercer County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.4%.

Mercer County is more Hispanic than neighboring Anderson County (2.6% Hispanic), and Washington County (0.2% Hispanic). Mercer County is less Hispanic than neighboring Boyle County (4.7% Hispanic), Woodford County (7.8% Hispanic), and Jessamine County (5% Hispanic).

Mercer County's Native American/Other Population

52 residents of Mercer 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 Mercer County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Mercer County ranks 18th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mercer County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 61.8%. Native American/Other residents' share of Mercer County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Mercer County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Washington County (0% Native American/Other). Mercer County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Boyle County (0.6% Native American/Other), Anderson County (0.3% Native American/Other), Woodford County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Jessamine County (0.5% Native American/Other).

Mercer County's Multiracial Population

716 residents of Mercer County, or 3.1% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Mercer County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Mercer County ranks 35th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mercer County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 18.6%. Multiracial residents' share of Mercer County's population has decreased from 3.9% to 3.1%.

Mercer County is more Multiracial than neighboring Anderson County (2.8% Multiracial). Mercer County is less Multiracial than neighboring Boyle County (4.2% Multiracial), Jessamine County (3.2% Multiracial), and Washington County (7.2% 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.