Spencer County Demographics

A map of Spencer County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	18,687	17,764	92.5%	91.1%
Multiracial	635	815	3.1%	4.2%
Hispanic	539	450	2.7%	2.3%
Black	156	297	0.8%	1.5%
Asian	108	90	0.5%	0.5%
Native American/Other	68	74	0.3%	0.4%

Spencer County, Kentucky has an estimated population of 20,193, an increase from the 19,490 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 92.5% White, 3.1% Multiracial, 2.7% Hispanic, 0.8% Black, 0.5% Asian, and 0.3% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Spencer County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Spencer 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 Spencer County, that probability was 16.7% in 2020 and 14.2% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Spencer County is ranked the 57th most populous county in Kentucky, out of 120 counties. Spencer County was ranked the 61st most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Spencer County's White Population

18,687 residents of Spencer County, or 92.5% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Spencer County is considerably higher than in Kentucky overall, where 81.5% of the population is White. Spencer County ranks 65th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Spencer County's White population has grown by an estimated 5.2%. White residents' share of Spencer County's population has increased from 91.1% to 92.5%.

Spencer County is more White than neighboring Shelby County (77.6% White), Nelson County (89.1% White), Washington County (87.4% White), Anderson County (91.8% White), and Jefferson County (62% White).

Spencer County's Black Population

156 residents of Spencer County, or 0.8% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Spencer County is lower than in Kentucky overall, where 7.6% of the population is Black. Spencer County ranks 67th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Spencer County's Black population has declined by an estimated 47.5%. Black residents' share of Spencer County's population has decreased from 1.5% to 0.8%.

Spencer County is less Black than neighboring Shelby County (3.7% Black), Nelson County (5.2% Black), Washington County (4.6% Black), Anderson County (2.1% Black), and Jefferson County (20.6% Black).

Spencer County's Asian Population

108 residents of Spencer County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Spencer County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 1.6% of the population is Asian. Spencer County ranks 43rd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Spencer County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 20.0%. Asian residents' share of Spencer County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Spencer County is more Asian than neighboring Anderson County (0.3% Asian). Spencer County is less Asian than neighboring Shelby County (0.9% Asian), Washington County (0.6% Asian), and Jefferson County (3.1% Asian).

Spencer County's Hispanic Population

539 residents of Spencer County, or 2.7% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Spencer County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 5% of the population is Hispanic. Spencer County ranks 58th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Spencer County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 19.8%. Hispanic residents' share of Spencer County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.7%.

Spencer County is more Hispanic than neighboring Washington County (0.2% Hispanic), and Anderson County (2.6% Hispanic). Spencer County is less Hispanic than neighboring Shelby County (11% Hispanic), Nelson County (2.9% Hispanic), and Jefferson County (8.6% Hispanic).

Spencer County's Native American/Other Population

68 residents of Spencer County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Spencer County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Spencer County ranks 79th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Spencer County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 8.1%. Native American/Other residents' share of Spencer County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Spencer County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Nelson County (0.1% Native American/Other), and Washington County (0% Native American/Other). Spencer County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Shelby County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Jefferson County (0.6% Native American/Other).

Spencer County's Multiracial Population

635 residents of Spencer County, or 3.1% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Spencer County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Spencer County ranks 23rd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Spencer County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 22.1%. Multiracial residents' share of Spencer County's population has decreased from 4.2% to 3.1%.

Spencer County is more Multiracial than neighboring Nelson County (2.2% Multiracial), and Anderson County (2.8% Multiracial). Spencer County is less Multiracial than neighboring Shelby County (6.2% Multiracial), Washington County (7.2% Multiracial), and Jefferson County (5.2% 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.