Official Federal Data
Lincoln County, Kentucky
FIPS 21137 · Danville, KY · Population 24,504
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$52,440 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
5.4% ▼
Unemployment
4% national
$596M ▲
GDP
15.9% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$52,440 ▲
Per Capita
$28,170 ▲
Mean Household
$71,952 ▲
Poverty Rate
16.3% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Lincoln County$52,440
Kentucky$63,726
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 24.4%
18-34 · 19.3%
35-54 · 24%
55-64 · 13.8%
65+ · 18.5%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
82.8%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▼ 6.8 pts
15.9%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 19.8 pts
6.9%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 7.2 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
24,504
Population
10,151
Labor Force
Employed
9,488
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
5.4% ▼ 0.1 pts YoY
Mean Commute 5 min above national avg
31.1 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
8.9%
Key Takeaways
- Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the national median, which directly affects retail demand, housing absorption, and tax base.
- Elevated poverty: At 16.3%, the rate is in economically distressed territory and supports federal funding narratives (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 19.8 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 668 workers (30.2% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $48,001.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $596M (2024).
- Wage stratification: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services averages $88,274 while Other Services (except Public Administration) averages $29,033, a 3.0x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
Seeing a change here?
Get Deeper Trends
EP customers get year-over-year deltas, WARN notices, and SEC filings for every sector tracked above, surfaced as proactive alerts, not after-the-fact news.
Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Retail Trade Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
52
Cluster Employment
1.94x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
1.94x 52
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers concentrates at 1.94x the national norm.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$147,300 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$698 ▲
Rent/Mo
76.4% ▼
Owner-Occ
11.3% ▼
Vacancy
2.8x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$619/mo
1 Bedroom
$753/mo
2 Bedroom
$866/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,038/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,147/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,311/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.8x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- High home ownership: 76.4% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Elevated vacancy: 11.3% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,311/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
13,996 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 5 min above national avg
31.1 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
8.9%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
71.5%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
15.9% ▲
HS Diploma+
82.8% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
35,189/yr
8,890/yr
6,956/yr
5,751/yr
5,011/yr
4,485/yr
4,096/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
24.2%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
34%
Service
14%
Sales & Office
15.3%
Construction / Maint.
13.5%
Production / Transport
23.2%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 9,488 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 24.2% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Low participation: 54.8% labor force participation suggests untapped capacity; workforce development programs may unlock supply.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 21,597 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Lincoln County shows emerging potential for gasoline stations and fuel dealers attraction, with a 1.94x concentration and 52 jobs in this sub-sector. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 24.2% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
Take it further
AI Insights: Built into ExecutivePulse. Continuous analysis tied to your own pipeline: industry-shift signals, prospect matches, retention prompts.
Managed Services: Prefer to hand it off? Our team delivers the analysis and consulting for you.
Schedule a DemoAvailable as premium offerings.
Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Lincoln County, Kentucky, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Lincoln County, Kentucky?
24,504 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Lincoln County, Kentucky?
$52,440 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Lincoln County, Kentucky?
5.4% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Lincoln County, Kentucky?
$596M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
Lincoln County, KY: Public data. Imagine the full platform.
Get a Demo →