Which metro areas in Kentucky are people moving to?
Bowling Green, KY (8.8 per 1,000 residents), Elizabethtown, KY (4.0 per 1,000 residents) and Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH (2.2 per 1,000 residents) drew the most people from the rest of the U.S. for their size among Kentucky metro areas in 2025.
Data as of 2025 · updated
All 9 ranked Kentucky metro areas
| Rank | Metro area | Per 1,000 residents, 2025 | Net movers 2025 | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bowling Green, KY | 8.8 | +1,738 | 197,180 |
| 2 | Elizabethtown, KY | 4.0 | +512 | 128,666 |
| 3 | Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 2.2 | +816 | 365,965 |
| 4 | Owensboro, KY | 1.8 | +205 | 113,962 |
| 5 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 0.8 | +1,836 | 2,312,858 |
| 6 | Paducah, KY-IL | 0.3 | +35 | 102,259 |
| 7 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | −0.9 | −488 | 535,174 |
| 8 | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | −1.5 | −2,115 | 1,402,509 |
| 9 | Clarksville, TN-KY | −1.5 | −530 | 349,001 |
How this is ranked
Net domestic migration from the Census Bureau's population estimates for 2025: people who moved in from the rest of the U.S. minus people who moved out, per 1,000 residents. Moves between the area's own counties cancel out; moves from and to other countries are not included. Only metropolitan statistical areas of two or more counties are ranked (OMB Bulletin 23-01): a one-county area's figures are its county's, and micro areas are left out. Areas without a figure for the same period as the others are not ranked. An area that crosses a state line is ranked in each of its states.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025). Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how ranks and figures are built.
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Questions
Which metro area in Kentucky gains the most people from the rest of the country?
Bowling Green, KY: 8.8 per 1,000 residents, ahead of Elizabethtown, KY (4.0 per 1,000 residents) and Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH (2.2 per 1,000 residents), of 9 Kentucky metro areas ranked.
How is this ranking calculated?
Net domestic migration from the Census Bureau's population estimates for 2025: people who moved in from the rest of the U.S. minus people who moved out, per 1,000 residents. Moves between the area's own counties cancel out; moves from and to other countries are not included. Only metropolitan statistical areas of two or more counties are ranked (OMB Bulletin 23-01): a one-county area's figures are its county's, and micro areas are left out. Areas without a figure for the same period as the others are not ranked. An area that crosses a state line is ranked in each of its states.