county

Wolfe County, KY

Demographic and economic profile of Wolfe County, KY, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Wolfe County is a small rural Appalachian county with a population of 6,484 that has contracted 10.2% over five years, with an economy reflected in a GDP per capita of just $17,823 and median household income of $30,417. The available labor pool is constrained—labor force participation stands at only 34.5%, unemployment is 15.8%, and just 7.4% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher—though median worker earnings of $21,899 signal a low-cost labor base. Housing costs are among the lowest measurable, with a median home value of $66,400 and median gross rent of $507 per month, set against a poverty rate of 38.1%.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

6,484

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$30,417

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

42.3 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-10.2% since 2018

Wolfe County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone6,126 (95.1%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races140 (2.2%)
  • Some Other Race Alone129 (2.0%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race33 (0.5%)
  • Black or African American Alone10 (0.2%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone5 (0.1%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish130
  2. 2.Russian, Polish, or other Slavic6

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

22.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

57.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

19.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

1.6%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

150

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$17,823

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$15,253

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

15.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

38.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance495
  2. 2.Manufacturing (Group)287
  3. 3.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services210
  4. 4.Construction (Group)159
  5. 5.Retail Trade (Group)135

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations478
  2. 2.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations441
  3. 3.Service Occupations391
  4. 4.Sales & Office Occupations277
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations54

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Manufacturing (LQ 1.55×)232
  2. 2.Public Administration (LQ 1.42×)101
  3. 3.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.31×)460
  4. 4.Retail Trade (LQ 1.20×)196
  5. 5.Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, & Accommodation (LQ 1.05×)138

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$66,400

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$507/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

73.6%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $60,000 to $69,999258 (13.1%)
  • $100,000 to $124,999258 (13.1%)
  • $10,000 to $14,999206 (10.5%)
  • Less Than $10,000176 (9.0%)
  • $150,000 to $174,999151 (7.7%)
  • $40,000 to $49,999123 (6.3%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

7.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

66.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

34.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$21,899

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

32.1 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

11.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone1,305 (82.1%)
  • Carpooled149 (9.4%)
  • Worked At Home99 (6.2%)
  • Other31 (1.9%)
  • Public Transit6 (0.4%)
  • Taxi0 (0.0%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.