Skip to content
Beacon CRE

Hardin County, KY: population growth, jobs and income

Hardin County gained 838 residents between 2024 and 2025 (+0.7%).

Hardin County had an estimated 113,482 residents in 2025, up 2.4% (2,648 more people) since 2020. That is faster than Kentucky as a whole (+2.2%), and the 53rd fastest growth of 120 counties in Kentucky.

Data as of 2025 · updated

See page 1 free (PDF)

14-day full refund · Stripe, Apple Pay or Google Pay · Instant PDF + CSV · Sold by Simply Stats LLC (NC)

How we compute every number · Refund terms

In the Hardin County report

One-time $99 PDF: everything on this page for Hardin County, ranked against Kentucky and the U.S., plus these figures that are not on the free page:

  • Median gross rent$971/mo2020–24
  • Vacant homes, incl. seasonal and second homes7.2%2020–24
  • New homes permitted, last 12 months4612025-10/2026-09
  • Rent growth, 5 yearsIn the report
  • Permits in 5+ unit buildingsIn the report
  • IRS income moving in (net AGI)In the report
  • Neighbouring-county comparison tableIn the report

What's inside: 5 pages

  1. 1 Summary, headline numbers and ranks (free preview)
  2. 2 Ranks and the neighbouring-county table
  3. 3 Migration, with IRS mover and income flows
  4. 4 Rent, vacant homes, permits and employers
  5. 5 Every source and the methods
See every page of a sample report

Want Pro for Kentucky? Get notified

Headline numbers

What the numbers say

Net domestic migration added 460 people in 2025: more people moved in from other U.S. counties than moved out.

Private employers had 36,716 paid employees in mid-March 2023, −1.4% since 2018 (County Business Patterns).

Unemployment averaged 4.9% in 2025, 1.0 points higher than in 2019 (before the pandemic).

Builders were authorized to start 432 new homes in 2025, or 3.8 per 1,000 residents.

Median household income was $67,647 in the 2020–24 American Community Survey, +18.5% since 2016–20.

Across the 3,107 U.S. counties with a comparable estimate, its population growth ranks 1,155th.

Part of the Elizabethtown, KY metro area.

Get Hardin County’s next numbers by email

Email me when Hardin County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Hardin County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Hardin County population by year

Resident population, July 1 estimate (Census Bureau)
YearPopulationChange
2025113,482+838
2024112,644+322
2023112,322+558
2022111,764−102
2021111,866+1,032
2020110,834–

Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year.

What drove the change in Hardin County

Hardin County grew by 2,648 people since 2020; the largest part came from domestic migration (+1,145).

Components of population change, people (Census Bureau)
Component20252020–25Share
Natural changebirths minus deaths+230+558
International migrationfrom and to other countries+150+950
Domestic migrationfrom and to other U.S. counties+460+1,145
Census adjustmentbalancing residual−2−5
Total change+838+2,648

Census Bureau population estimates, components of change, each year July 1 to June 30. The components add up to the change in the estimate; the Census adjustment is the small balancing figure the Bureau publishes.

How it ranks

MeasureIn KentuckyAmong U.S. counties
Population growth53rd of 1201,155th of 3,107
Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents68th of 1201,212th of 3,108
Private-sector job growth80th of 1202,070th of 3,092
Median household income18th of 1201,357th of 3,107
Lowest unemployment rate63rd of 1202,444th of 3,108
New homes permitted per 1,000 residents25th of 97880th of 3,005

1st = highest (lowest for unemployment). Counties are ranked only against others with a figure for the same period.

Get the county report — $99

The County Growth and Demographics Report for Hardin County, KY as a PDF, from federal data: population and migration, housing and rents, permits, private employers and jobs, unemployment, ranks in the state and the country, and neighbouring counties, with a source next to every number. Pay once, no subscription.

Add 2 neighbouring counties for $50: the Jefferson County and Bullitt County reports too, $149 for all 3.

Choose other neighbouring counties

Preview page 1 of the Hardin County report (free, PDF) · See a full 5-page sample (PDF) · Other counties and options

Every purchase also includes a CSV of every table in the report, ready for a spreadsheet.

Refund terms: Terms. · How we compute every number

Neighbouring counties

Over 2020–25, Hardin County's population change (+2.4%) was ahead of 4 of its 9 neighbouring counties and behind 5.

5 of its 9 neighbouring counties had a higher median household income than Hardin County's $67,647 (2020–24).

Hardin County, KY and its 9 neighbouring counties: public federal figures
CountyPopulation2025Population change2020–25Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents2025Homes permitted per 1,000 residents2025Median household income2020–24
Hardin County, KY This county113,482+2.4%4.13.8$67,647
Larue County, KY15,184+2.0%3.43.9$67,067
Bullitt County, KY86,454+5.0%7.47.6$80,558
Meade County, KY30,699+2.2%5.75.4$74,355
Hart County, KY20,117+4.3%9.913.5$52,285
Nelson County, KY49,036+4.8%4.74.5$69,562
Grayson County, KY27,406+3.6%6.71.3$50,757
Breckinridge County, KY21,503+5.2%11.20.7$55,843
Harrison County, IN40,437+1.9%6.83.9$74,475
Jefferson County, KY795,222+1.6%−9.93.8$69,866

Census Bureau population estimates and building permits, American Community Survey 5-year income. Rates per 1,000 residents. – means no figure, or a base too small for a change or rate (it would swing on a few people). A figure from another period shows its year and is left out of the comparison.

All 120 Kentucky counties · Every state

Questions

Is Hardin County growing?

Yes. Its population grew 2.4% between 2020 and 2025, about 2,648 more people (Census Bureau population estimates). Kentucky as a whole changed +2.2% over the same years. That ranks 53rd of 120 counties in Kentucky for population growth.

How many people moved to Hardin County?

On net, about 460 people in 2025: that many more moved in from other U.S. counties than moved out (Census Bureau net domestic migration estimate).

What is the unemployment rate in Hardin County?

It averaged 4.9% in 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual average).

What is the population of Hardin County?

About 113,482 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimate for July 1, 2025.

How many jobs are in Hardin County?

Private employers there had 36,716 paid employees in mid-March 2023, −1.4% since 2018 (Census Bureau County Business Patterns; government jobs and the self-employed are not counted).

What Beacon CRE covers in Kentucky

Map, parcel and listing layers cover North and South Carolina only for now. This page and the other Kentucky county pages carry the public federal growth figures.

Hardin County data alerts

Email me when Hardin County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Hardin County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Sources and method

Each number shows its own period. Changes compare the latest period with five years earlier (or the earliest period available). Beacon CRE last refreshed these figures on 2026-11-05. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how we compute every number. More on every layer: data sources and licences.

Jobs outside North and South Carolina use County Business Patterns (paid private-sector employees in mid-March); wages and government jobs are not included.