Skip to content
Beacon CRE

Where are people moving in Kentucky?

Nicholas County (22.5 per 1,000 residents), Menifee County (20.7 per 1,000 residents) and Simpson County (18.2 per 1,000 residents) drew the most people from other U.S. counties for their size in Kentucky in 2025.

Data as of 2025 · updated

See the rankingAll Kentucky counties

Want Pro for Kentucky? Get notified

All 120 ranked Kentucky counties

Kentucky counties ranked by net domestic migration per 1,000 residents
RankCountyPer 1,000 residents, 2025Net movers 2025Residents
1Nicholas County22.5+1797,949
2Menifee County20.7+1336,430
3Simpson County18.2+37820,788
4Madison County17.8+1,810101,696
5Allen County17.6+39722,536
6Garrard County16.9+30718,207
7Bath County16.4+21613,176
8Henry County15.7+25816,447
9Grant County14.4+37726,181
10McCreary County13.7+23517,124
11Spencer County13.7+28820,998
12Calloway County13.2+51939,421
13Owen County13.0+15111,601
14Mercer County12.9+30623,733
15Lyon County12.3+1129,123
16Campbell County11.5+1,09495,441
17Owsley County11.4+453,932
18Green County11.4+13311,644
19Boyle County11.3+35831,632
20Breckinridge County11.2+24121,503
21Morgan County11.0+15914,415
22Lincoln County11.0+27925,353
23Todd County10.6+13712,972
24Harrison County10.3+20219,627
25Hart County9.9+19920,117
26Casey County9.4+15216,205
27Laurel County9.4+59763,746
28Adair County9.1+17619,423
29Wolfe County9.1+576,298
30Lee County8.9+657,297
31Estill County8.9+12413,962
32Pulaski County8.8+59367,384
33Logan County8.8+25228,669
34Martin County8.7+9310,697
35Edmonson County8.3+10612,749
36Hickman County8.2+364,372
37Bracken County8.2+708,511
38Gallatin County8.1+728,840
39Clark County8.1+30737,888
40Warren County8.0+1,198149,375
41Shelby County7.9+40551,243
42Anderson County7.7+19425,225
43Metcalfe County7.6+8010,583
44Monroe County7.5+8411,191
45Bullitt County7.4+64486,454
46Wayne County7.3+14419,597
47Fleming County7.0+11015,787
48Graves County6.9+25737,050
49Grayson County6.7+18427,406
50Franklin County6.6+34952,649
51Marshall County6.4+20331,659
52Jackson County6.2+8213,325
53Livingston County6.0+538,863
54Meade County5.7+17530,699
55Jessamine County5.5+31257,147
56Boone County5.3+774145,316
57Trimble County5.1+448,701
58Greenup County4.9+17335,213
59Nelson County4.7+22949,036
60Muhlenberg County4.6+14130,634
61Caldwell County4.4+5512,609
62Barren County4.3+19645,641
63Trigg County4.3+6214,512
64Carter County4.2+11126,149
65Mason County4.1+7016,936
66Washington County4.1+5112,368
67Lawrence County4.1+6415,765
68Hardin County4.1+460113,482
69Scott County4.0+25162,262
70Hancock County3.6+339,050
71Russell County3.6+6718,608
72Hopkins County3.5+15845,127
73Larue County3.4+5215,184
74Ballard County3.2+247,594
75Woodford County3.0+8427,883
76Ohio County3.0+7223,934
77Marion County3.0+6020,115
78Butler County3.0+3712,520
79McLean County2.8+259,064
80Rockcastle County2.6+4216,148
81Oldham County2.5+18170,986
82Elliott County2.3+177,265
83Lewis County2.1+2712,901
84Bell County1.9+4322,829
85Daviess County1.7+180104,898
86Pendleton County1.5+2214,800
87Fulton County1.4+96,218
88Kenton County1.4+253175,779
89Powell County1.4+1812,812
90Whitley County1.3+4737,297
91Boyd County1.2+5547,751
92Johnson County0.9+2022,051
93Carlisle County0.6+34,747
94Webster County0.6+812,929
95Floyd County0.6+2134,401
96Carroll County0.4+511,141
97Clay County0.4+719,465
98Montgomery County0.2+628,822
99Knox County−0.6−1929,532
100Clinton County−0.7−69,139
101McCracken County−1.1−7167,553
102Rowan County−1.1−2724,476
103Cumberland County−1.2−75,992
104Magoffin County−1.3−1411,110
105Knott County−2.0−2713,321
106Bourbon County−2.5−5020,243
107Taylor County−2.5−6726,763
108Robertson County−2.6−62,325
109Henderson County−3.4−14944,255
110Fayette County−4.2−1,392329,751
111Pike County−4.5−24654,721
112Harlan County−4.8−11824,725
113Perry County−4.8−12726,555
114Leslie County−5.4−529,627
115Letcher County−5.7−11419,952
116Breathitt County−7.5−9412,558
117Jefferson County−9.9−7,878795,222
118Crittenden County−16.8−1488,807
119Union County−18.3−23512,839
120Christian County−26.1−1,82870,115

How this is ranked

Net domestic migration from the Census Bureau's population estimates for 2025: people who moved in from other U.S. counties minus people who moved out, per 1,000 residents. Moves from and to other countries are not included. Counties with fewer than 1,000 residents, or without a figure for the same period as the others, are not ranked.

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. More on every layer: data sources and licences.

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.

Choose a county — $99

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

Refund terms: Terms. · How we compute every number

Questions

Which county in Kentucky gains the most people from other counties?

Nicholas County: 22.5 per 1,000 residents, ahead of Menifee County (20.7 per 1,000 residents) and Simpson County (18.2 per 1,000 residents), of 120 Kentucky counties ranked.

How is this ranking calculated?

Net domestic migration from the Census Bureau's population estimates for 2025: people who moved in from other U.S. counties minus people who moved out, per 1,000 residents. Moves from and to other countries are not included. Counties with fewer than 1,000 residents, or without a figure for the same period as the others, are not ranked.

More county rankings for Kentucky

Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents in other states

Across the U.S.