Nelson County Demographics

A map of Nelson County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	42,424	41,113	89.1%	88.0%
Black	2,472	2,183	5.2%	4.7%
Hispanic	1,397	1,214	2.9%	2.6%
Multiracial	1,039	1,766	2.2%	3.8%
Asian	229	267	0.5%	0.6%
Native American/Other	45	195	0.1%	0.4%

Nelson County, Kentucky has an estimated population of 47,606, a slight increase from the 46,738 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 89.1% White, 5.2% Black, 2.9% Hispanic, 2.2% Multiracial, 0.5% Asian, and 0.1% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Nelson County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Nelson 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 Nelson County, that probability was 22.2% in 2020 and 20.2% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Nelson County is ranked the 22nd most populous county in Kentucky, out of 120 counties. Nelson County was ranked the 22nd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Nelson County's White Population

42,424 residents of Nelson County, or 89.1% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Nelson County is higher than in Kentucky overall, where 81.5% of the population is White. Nelson County ranks 82nd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Nelson County's White population has grown by an estimated 3.2%. White residents' share of Nelson County's population has increased from 88.0% to 89.1%.

Nelson County is more White than neighboring Washington County (87.4% White), and Marion County (86.4% White). Nelson County is less White than neighboring Spencer County (92.5% White), Bullitt County (90.8% White), and Larue County (90.4% White).

Nelson County's Black Population

2,472 residents of Nelson County, or 5.2% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Nelson County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 7.6% of the population is Black. Nelson County ranks 31st statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Nelson County's Black population has grown by an estimated 13.2%. Black residents' share of Nelson County's population has increased from 4.7% to 5.2%.

Nelson County is more Black than neighboring Spencer County (0.8% Black), Bullitt County (1.3% Black), Washington County (4.6% Black), and Larue County (2.1% Black). Nelson County is less Black than neighboring Marion County (7.6% Black).

Nelson County's Asian Population

229 residents of Nelson County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Nelson County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 1.6% of the population is Asian. Nelson County ranks 33rd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Nelson County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 14.2%. Asian residents' share of Nelson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Nelson County is more Asian than neighboring Larue County (0% Asian). Nelson County is less Asian than neighboring Bullitt County (0.7% Asian), Washington County (0.6% Asian), and Marion County (0.6% Asian).

Nelson County's Hispanic Population

1,397 residents of Nelson County, or 2.9% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Nelson County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 5% of the population is Hispanic. Nelson County ranks 52nd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Nelson County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 15.1%. Hispanic residents' share of Nelson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.9%.

Nelson County is more Hispanic than neighboring Spencer County (2.7% Hispanic), and Washington County (0.2% Hispanic). Nelson County is less Hispanic than neighboring Bullitt County (3.3% Hispanic), Marion County (3.7% Hispanic), and Larue County (3.3% Hispanic).

Nelson County's Native American/Other Population

45 residents of Nelson 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 Nelson County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Nelson County ranks 64th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Nelson County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 76.9%. Native American/Other residents' share of Nelson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Nelson County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Washington County (0% Native American/Other), and Marion County (0% Native American/Other). Nelson County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Spencer County (0.3% Native American/Other), Bullitt County (0.4% Native American/Other), and Larue County (0.6% Native American/Other).

Nelson County's Multiracial Population

1,039 residents of Nelson County, or 2.2% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Nelson County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Nelson County ranks 40th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Nelson County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 41.2%. Multiracial residents' share of Nelson County's population has decreased from 3.8% to 2.2%.

Nelson County is more Multiracial than neighboring Marion County (1.7% Multiracial). Nelson County is less Multiracial than neighboring Spencer County (3.1% Multiracial), Bullitt County (3.5% Multiracial), Washington County (7.2% Multiracial), and Larue County (3.6% 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.