Powell County, Kentucky

Powell County
Powell County
County
	Powell County courthouse in Stanton
	Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
	Kentucky's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 37°50′N 83°50′W / 37.83°N 83.83°W
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
Founded	1852
Named for	Lazarus W. Powell
Seat	Stanton
Area
• Total	180 sq mi (500 km2)
• Land	179 sq mi (460 km2)
• Water	1.1 sq mi (3 km2) 0.6%
Population (2020)
• Total	13,129
• Estimate (2023)	12,972
• Density	73/sq mi (28/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	6th
Website	powellcountyky.us

Powell County is a county located in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,129.^[1] Its county seat is Stanton.^[2] The county was formed January 7, 1852, by Kentucky Governor Lazarus W. Powell from parts of Clark, Estill, and Montgomery counties.^[3] It is no longer a dry county as of 2018. Powell County is home to Natural Bridge State Resort Park and the Red River Gorge Geologic Area, two of Kentucky's most important natural areas and ecotourism destinations, as well as the Pilot Knob State Nature Preserve.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 180 square miles (470 km²), of which 179 square miles (460 km²) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) (0.6%) is water.^[4]

Adjacent counties

Montgomery County (north)
Menifee County (northeast)
Wolfe County (southeast)
Lee County (south)
Estill County (southwest)
Clark County (northwest)

National protected area

Daniel Boone National Forest (part)

Government

The Powell County courthouse is located at 525 Washington St in Stanton.

County Judge-Executive: Eddie Barnes
County Clerk: Jackie Everman
Sheriff: Danny Rogers
Coroner: Megan Wells Curtis
Jailer: Teddy Lacy
County Attorney: Robert King
Circuit Clerk: Brian King
County Property Valuation Administrator (PVA): Carmen Rogers
County Surveyor: Vacant
EMS Director: Nathan Hall

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	2,257		—
1870	2,599		15.2%
1880	3,639		40.0%
1890	4,698		29.1%
1900	6,443		37.1%
1910	6,268		−2.7%
1920	6,745		7.6%
1930	5,800		−14.0%
1940	7,671		32.3%
1950	6,812		−11.2%
1960	6,674		−2.0%
1970	7,704		15.4%
1980	11,101		44.1%
1990	11,686		5.3%
2000	13,237		13.3%
2010	12,613		−4.7%
2020	13,129		4.1%
2023 (est.)	12,972	^[5]	−1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census^[6] 1790-1960^[7] 1900-1990^[8] 1990-2000^[9] 2010-2020^[1]

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,237 people, 5,044 households, and 3,783 families residing in the county. The population density was 74 per square mile (29/km²). There were 5,526 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.56% White, 0.62% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.07% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 0.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,044 households, out of which 36.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.20% were married couples living together, 12.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.00% were non-families. 21.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.60% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 99.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,515, and the median income for a family was $30,483. Males had a median income of $26,962 versus $18,810 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,060. About 18.90% of families and 23.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.00% of those under age 18 and 20.00% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

In recent federal elections, Powell County has been reliably Republican.

United States presidential election results for Powell County, Kentucky^[10]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	4,041	73.41%	1,367	24.83%	97	1.76%
2016	3,513	70.87%	1,272	25.66%	172	3.47%
2012	2,766	61.73%	1,620	36.15%	95	2.12%
2008	2,837	57.06%	2,065	41.53%	70	1.41%
2004	2,687	54.17%	2,249	45.34%	24	0.48%
2000	2,258	51.77%	2,008	46.03%	96	2.20%
1996	1,526	36.00%	2,156	50.86%	557	13.14%
1992	1,809	35.89%	2,323	46.08%	909	18.03%
1988	2,128	49.98%	2,113	49.62%	17	0.40%
1984	2,269	58.83%	1,575	40.83%	13	0.34%
1980	1,716	45.55%	2,006	53.25%	45	1.19%
1976	1,148	37.90%	1,859	61.37%	22	0.73%
1972	1,766	58.40%	1,230	40.67%	28	0.93%
1968	1,157	42.57%	934	34.36%	627	23.07%
1964	993	37.83%	1,622	61.79%	10	0.38%
1960	1,508	57.34%	1,122	42.66%	0	0.00%
1956	1,339	49.87%	1,343	50.02%	3	0.11%
1952	992	44.83%	1,218	55.04%	3	0.14%
1948	719	41.51%	975	56.29%	38	2.19%
1944	902	46.71%	1,023	52.98%	6	0.31%
1940	989	43.57%	1,266	55.77%	15	0.66%
1936	998	45.43%	1,185	53.94%	14	0.64%
1932	826	38.69%	1,300	60.89%	9	0.42%
1928	1,160	61.31%	732	38.69%	0	0.00%
1924	724	42.87%	939	55.60%	26	1.54%
1920	835	44.32%	1,038	55.10%	11	0.58%
1916	587	43.68%	757	56.32%	0	0.00%
1912	381	31.83%	647	54.05%	169	14.12%

Natural Bridge State Resort Park

Powell County is home to Natural Bridge State Resort Park. The park is abundant with Native American relics, shelters, and burial grounds. The main attraction is the bridge itself, a natural arch with more than 15 million pounds (6,800 t) of rock in suspension. It is 30 feet (9.1 m) wide at the top and 85 feet (26 m) at the base; one of the more than 70 natural arches located in the area.^[11]

Communities

Clay City
Slade
Stanton (county seat)

References

^ ^a ^b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ 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 19, 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 19, 2014.
^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 19, 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 19, 2014.
^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
^ Powell, Robert (1989). Kentucky Counties. Lexington, KY: Kentucky Images. pp. 52–53.