Rockcastle County Demographics

A map of Rockcastle County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	15,409	15,316	95.3%	95.5%
Multiracial	344	412	2.1%	2.6%
Hispanic	204	172	1.3%	1.1%
Black	97	52	0.6%	0.3%
Native American/Other	96	57	0.6%	0.4%
Asian	13	28	0.1%	0.2%

Rockcastle County, Kentucky has an estimated population of 16,163, a less than 1% change from the 16,037 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 95.3% White, 2.1% Multiracial, 1.3% Hispanic, 0.6% Black, 0.6% Native American/Other, and 0.1% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Rockcastle County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Rockcastle 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 Rockcastle County, that probability was 8.7% in 2020 and 9.0% in the most recent ACS estimates.

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

Rockcastle County's White Population

15,409 residents of Rockcastle County, or 95.3% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Rockcastle County is considerably higher than in Kentucky overall, where 81.5% of the population is White. Rockcastle County ranks 15th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Rockcastle County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Rockcastle County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 95.3%.

Rockcastle County is more White than neighboring Laurel County (94.8% White), Garrard County (91.6% White), Lincoln County (92.3% White), and Madison County (87.6% White). Rockcastle County is less White than neighboring Jackson County (96.2% White).

Rockcastle County's Black Population

97 residents of Rockcastle County, or 0.6% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Rockcastle County is lower than in Kentucky overall, where 7.6% of the population is Black. Rockcastle County ranks 109th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Rockcastle County's Black population has grown by an estimated 86.5%. Black residents' share of Rockcastle County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.6%.

Rockcastle County is more Black than neighboring Jackson County (0.2% Black). Rockcastle County is less Black than neighboring Garrard County (2.4% Black), Lincoln County (2% Black), and Madison County (3.9% Black).

Rockcastle County's Asian Population

13 residents of Rockcastle County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Rockcastle County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 1.6% of the population is Asian. Rockcastle County ranks 91st statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Rockcastle County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 53.6%. Asian residents' share of Rockcastle County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Rockcastle County is more Asian than neighboring Jackson County (0% Asian). Rockcastle County is less Asian than neighboring Laurel County (0.3% Asian), and Madison County (0.9% Asian).

Rockcastle County's Hispanic Population

204 residents of Rockcastle County, or 1.3% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Rockcastle County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 5% of the population is Hispanic. Rockcastle County ranks 98th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Rockcastle County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 18.6%. Hispanic residents' share of Rockcastle County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.3%.

Rockcastle County is more Hispanic than neighboring Jackson County (1.1% Hispanic). Rockcastle County is less Hispanic than neighboring Laurel County (1.7% Hispanic), Garrard County (3% Hispanic), Lincoln County (2.1% Hispanic), and Madison County (3.5% Hispanic).

Rockcastle County's Native American/Other Population

96 residents of Rockcastle County, or 0.6% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Rockcastle County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Rockcastle County ranks 84th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Rockcastle County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 68.4%. Native American/Other residents' share of Rockcastle County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.6%.

Rockcastle County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Jackson County (0.1% Native American/Other), Laurel County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Madison County (0.4% Native American/Other). Rockcastle County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Garrard County (0.9% Native American/Other), and Lincoln County (0.9% Native American/Other).

Rockcastle County's Multiracial Population

344 residents of Rockcastle County, or 2.1% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Rockcastle County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Rockcastle County ranks 84th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Rockcastle County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 16.5%. Multiracial residents' share of Rockcastle County's population has decreased from 2.6% to 2.1%.

Rockcastle County is less Multiracial than neighboring Jackson County (2.4% Multiracial), Laurel County (2.3% Multiracial), Lincoln County (2.6% Multiracial), and Madison 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.