What are the fastest-growing metro areas in Kentucky?
Bowling Green, KY (+9.5%), Clarksville, TN-KY (+8.4%) and Lexington-Fayette, KY (+3.4%) grew fastest among Kentucky metro areas between 2020 and 2025.
Data as of 2025 · updated
All 9 ranked Kentucky metro areas
| Rank | Metro area | Change 2020–25 | People added | Residents 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bowling Green, KY | +9.5% | +17,107 | 197,180 |
| 2 | Clarksville, TN-KY | +8.4% | +27,178 | 349,001 |
| 3 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | +3.4% | +17,743 | 535,174 |
| 4 | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | +2.9% | +39,528 | 1,402,509 |
| 5 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | +2.7% | +60,880 | 2,312,858 |
| 6 | Elizabethtown, KY | +2.3% | +2,953 | 128,666 |
| 7 | Owensboro, KY | +1.3% | +1,430 | 113,962 |
| 8 | Paducah, KY-IL | −1.2% | −1,195 | 102,259 |
| 9 | Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | −2.6% | −9,748 | 365,965 |
How this is ranked
The percentage change in the Census Bureau's July 1 resident population estimates between 2020 and 2025, with the number of people added. 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.
Get the report for any Kentucky county — $99
The County Growth and Demographics Report for any county 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.
Every purchase also includes a CSV of every table in the report, ready for a spreadsheet.
- Not useful? Email us within 14 days for a full refund
- Sold by Simply Stats LLC (NC)
- Secure Stripe checkout (Apple Pay/Google Pay)
- Instant PDF download
- PDF + CSV of every table
Refund terms: Terms. · How we compute every number
Questions
Which metro area in Kentucky is growing fastest?
Bowling Green, KY: +9.5%, ahead of Clarksville, TN-KY (+8.4%) and Lexington-Fayette, KY (+3.4%), of 9 Kentucky metro areas ranked.
How is this ranking calculated?
The percentage change in the Census Bureau's July 1 resident population estimates between 2020 and 2025, with the number of people added. 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.