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Rockcastle County, Kentucky facts for kids

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Rockcastle County
Rockcastle County courthouse in Mount Vernon
Rockcastle County courthouse in Mount Vernon
Map of Kentucky highlighting Rockcastle County
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Map of the United States highlighting Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Kentucky
Founded 1810
Named for Rockcastle River
Seat Mount Vernon
Largest city Mount Vernon
Area
 • Total 318 sq mi (820 km2)
 • Land 317 sq mi (820 km2)
 • Water 1.6 sq mi (4 km2)  0.5%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 16,037 Decrease
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 5th

Rockcastle County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its county seat is Mt. Vernon. The county was founded in 1810 and named for the Rockcastle River, which runs through it. The river, in turn, is named for its majestic rock cliffs. Rockcastle County is part of the RichmondBerea, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Lexington-Fayette-Richmond-Frankfort, KY Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 318 square miles (820 km2), of which 317 square miles (820 km2) is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2) (0.5%) is water.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1820 2,249
1830 2,865 27.4%
1840 3,409 19.0%
1850 4,697 37.8%
1860 5,343 13.8%
1870 7,145 33.7%
1880 9,670 35.3%
1890 9,841 1.8%
1900 12,416 26.2%
1910 14,473 16.6%
1920 15,406 6.4%
1930 15,149 −1.7%
1940 17,165 13.3%
1950 13,925 −18.9%
1960 12,334 −11.4%
1970 12,305 −0.2%
1980 13,973 13.6%
1990 14,803 5.9%
2000 16,582 12.0%
2010 17,056 2.9%
2020 16,037 −6.0%
2021 (est.) 16,115 −5.5%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2021

As of the census of 2000, there were 16,582 people, 6,544 households, and 4,764 families residing in the county. The population density was 52 per square mile (20/km2). There were 7,353 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile (8.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.81% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.04% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 0.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,544 households, out of which 33.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.90% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.20% were non-families. 24.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.40% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $23,475 and the median income for a family was $30,278. Males had a median income of $26,770 versus $18,388 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,337. About 19.10% of families and 23.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.30% of those under age 18 and 21.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Rockcastle para niños

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