Morgan County, Kentucky

Morgan County
Morgan County
County
	Morgan County courthouse in West Liberty
	Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
	Kentucky's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 37°55′N 83°16′W / 37.92°N 83.26°W
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
Founded	December 7, 1822
Named for	Daniel Morgan
Seat	West Liberty
Largest city	West Liberty
Area
• Total	384 sq mi (990 km2)
• Land	381 sq mi (990 km2)
• Water	2.7 sq mi (7 km2) 0.7%
Population (2020)
• Total	13,726
• Estimate (2023)	14,283
• Density	36/sq mi (14/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	5th
Website	morgancounty.ky.gov

Morgan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,726.^[1] Its county seat is West Liberty.^[2] The county is among the dry counties, which means that the sale of alcohol is restricted or prohibited.

History

Morgan County was formed on December 7, 1822, from portions of Bath County and Floyd County.^[3] It was named for Daniel Morgan, a distinguished general in the American Revolutionary War.^[4]

The first white settler in the county was Daniel Williams, a traveling preacher from Virginia who built the first permanent home in the vicinity several miles south of present-day West Liberty.

During the Civil War, Morgan County was firmly pro-confederate in sentiment, donating hundreds of men to the 5th KY Infantry (CSA).

Morgan County was hit by an EF3 tornado on March 2, 2012, which cost the lives of six people and injured many others. Following the tornado, Morgan County's population decreased, but the county seat still has a strong population for a small town.

Morgan County had begun building a new court house in 2011, but the tornado delayed its construction to late 2013.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 384 square miles (990 km²), of which 300 square miles (780 km²) is land and 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²) (0.7%) is water.^[5]

Adjacent counties

Rowan County (northwest)
Elliott County (north)
Lawrence County (northeast)
Johnson County (east)
Magoffin County (southeast)
Wolfe County (southwest)
Menifee County (west)

National protected area

Daniel Boone National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1830	2,857		—
1840	4,603		61.1%
1850	7,620		65.5%
1860	9,237		21.2%
1870	5,975		−35.3%
1880	8,455		41.5%
1890	11,249		33.0%
1900	12,792		13.7%
1910	16,259		27.1%
1920	16,518		1.6%
1930	15,130		−8.4%
1940	16,827		11.2%
1950	13,624		−19.0%
1960	11,056		−18.8%
1970	10,019		−9.4%
1980	12,103		20.8%
1990	11,648		−3.8%
2000	13,948		19.7%
2010	13,923		−0.2%
2020	13,726		−1.4%
2023 (est.)	14,283	^[6]	4.1%
U.S. Decennial Census^[7] 1790-1960^[8] 1900-1990^[9] 1990-2000^[10] 2010-2020^[1]

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,948 people, 4,752 households, and 3,568 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 per square mile (14/km²). There were 5,487 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5.4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.59% White, 4.38% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. 0.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,752 households, out of which 34.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.40% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.90% were non-families. 22.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.40% under the age of 18, 10.60% from 18 to 24, 32.90% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 123.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 128.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $21,869, and the median income for a family was $26,135. Males had a median income of $23,966 versus $18,463 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,657. 27.20% of the population and 23.50% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 33.90% are under the age of 18 and 28.50% are 65 or older.

Politics

Morgan County was a strongly Democratic county throughout the 20th century, with the party's candidate winning in every presidential election from 1912 until 2000, when Al Gore became the first Democrat to lose the county since Woodrow Wilson in 1912. In the 21st century, however, like almost all of Kentucky, the county has flipped to the Republicans in US presidential elections.

United States presidential election results for Morgan County, Kentucky^[11]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	4,301	77.58%	1,175	21.19%	68	1.23%
2016	3,628	75.98%	1,006	21.07%	141	2.95%
2012	3,021	67.55%	1,369	30.61%	82	1.83%
2008	2,396	54.72%	1,879	42.91%	104	2.37%
2004	2,682	50.87%	2,532	48.03%	58	1.10%
2000	2,295	54.13%	1,875	44.22%	70	1.65%
1996	1,439	38.94%	1,843	49.88%	413	11.18%
1992	1,239	28.09%	2,655	60.19%	517	11.72%
1988	1,452	38.04%	2,329	61.02%	36	0.94%
1984	1,834	42.36%	2,481	57.30%	15	0.35%
1980	1,450	34.53%	2,698	64.25%	51	1.21%
1976	973	24.97%	2,897	74.34%	27	0.69%
1972	1,535	45.56%	1,815	53.87%	19	0.56%
1968	1,341	33.86%	2,222	56.10%	398	10.05%
1964	546	14.05%	3,293	84.72%	48	1.23%
1960	1,718	37.12%	2,910	62.88%	0	0.00%
1956	1,878	37.20%	3,164	62.68%	6	0.12%
1952	1,311	29.29%	3,161	70.62%	4	0.09%
1948	987	21.94%	3,488	77.53%	24	0.53%
1944	1,217	27.26%	3,242	72.63%	5	0.11%
1940	1,509	26.67%	4,148	73.33%	0	0.00%
1936	1,269	28.01%	3,256	71.86%	6	0.13%
1932	1,435	25.70%	4,137	74.09%	12	0.21%
1928	2,025	44.02%	2,575	55.98%	0	0.00%
1924	1,805	35.09%	3,311	64.37%	28	0.54%
1920	1,802	34.88%	3,347	64.79%	17	0.33%
1916	1,123	32.43%	2,319	66.97%	21	0.61%
1912	876	29.94%	1,800	61.52%	250	8.54%

Communities

City

West Liberty (county seat)

Census-designated place

Ezel

Other unincorporated places

References

^ ^a ^b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ "Morgan County". The Kentucky Encyclopedia. 2000. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
^ The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 1. Kentucky State Historical Society. 1903. pp. 36.
^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 5, 2018.