Whitley County Demographics

A map of Whitley County's Population by Race

Whitley County, Kentucky has an estimated population of 36,920, a less than 1% change from the 36,712 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 94.4% White, 2.1% Hispanic, 2.0% Multiracial, 1.1% Black, 0.3% Asian, and 0.2% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Whitley County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Whitley 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 Whitley County, that probability was 13.7% in 2020 and 10.8% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Whitley County is ranked the 28th most populous county in Kentucky, out of 120 counties. Whitley County was ranked the 28th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Whitley County's White Population

34,846 residents of Whitley County, or 94.4% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Whitley County is considerably higher than in Kentucky overall, where 81.5% of the population is White. Whitley County ranks 44th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Whitley County's White population has grown by an estimated 2.3%. White residents' share of Whitley County's population has increased from 92.8% to 94.4%.

Whitley County is more White than neighboring McCreary County (88.8% White), and Bell County (92.6% White). Whitley County is less White than neighboring Knox County (95% White), Laurel County (94.8% White), and Campbell County (95.7% White).

Whitley County's Black Population

389 residents of Whitley County, or 1.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Whitley County is lower than in Kentucky overall, where 7.6% of the population is Black. Whitley County ranks 69th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Whitley County's Black population has declined by an estimated 26.7%. Black residents' share of Whitley County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.1%.

Whitley County is more Black than neighboring Knox County (1% Black), Laurel County (0.6% Black), and Campbell County (0.5% Black). Whitley County is less Black than neighboring McCreary County (6.1% Black), and Bell County (3% Black).

Whitley County's Asian Population

96 residents of Whitley County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Whitley County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 1.6% of the population is Asian. Whitley County ranks 35th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Whitley County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 52.9%. Asian residents' share of Whitley County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Whitley County is more Asian than neighboring Knox County (0.2% Asian), McCreary County (0.1% Asian), and Campbell County (0.2% Asian).

Whitley County's Hispanic Population

776 residents of Whitley County, or 2.1% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Whitley County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 5% of the population is Hispanic. Whitley County ranks 72nd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Whitley County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 13.0%. Hispanic residents' share of Whitley County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.1%.

Whitley County is more Hispanic than neighboring Knox County (1.3% Hispanic), Laurel County (1.7% Hispanic), Campbell County (1.6% Hispanic), and Bell County (0.5% Hispanic). Whitley County is less Hispanic than neighboring McCreary County (2.2% Hispanic).

Whitley County's Native American/Other Population

69 residents of Whitley 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 Whitley County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Whitley County ranks 68th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Whitley County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 53.7%. Native American/Other residents' share of Whitley County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Whitley County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Knox County (0% Native American/Other), and Campbell County (0.1% Native American/Other). Whitley County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Laurel County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Bell County (0.5% Native American/Other).

Whitley County's Multiracial Population

744 residents of Whitley County, or 2.0% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Whitley County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Whitley County ranks 74th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Whitley County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 30.1%. Multiracial residents' share of Whitley County's population has decreased from 2.9% to 2.0%.

Whitley County is less Multiracial than neighboring Knox County (2.4% Multiracial), McCreary County (2.6% Multiracial), Laurel County (2.3% Multiracial), and Bell County (3.2% 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.