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Fayette County, Kentucky

Fayette County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Kentucky and is consolidated with the city of Lexington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 322,570,[1] making it the second-most populous county in the commonwealth. Since 1974, its territory, population and government have been shared with Lexington.[2] Fayette County is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Fayette County
Consolidated city-county
Lexington-Fayette Urban County
Robert F. Stephens Courthouse Complex in Lexington
Robert F. Stephens Courthouse Complex in Lexington
Official seal of Fayette County
Seal
Map of Kentucky highlighting Fayette County
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Map of the United States highlighting Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°02′N 84°28′W / 38.04°N 84.46°W / 38.04; -84.46
Country United States
State Kentucky
Founded1780
Named forGilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette
SeatLexington
Largest cityLexington
Area
 • Total
286 sq mi (740 km2)
 • Land284 sq mi (740 km2)
 • Water1.9 sq mi (5 km2)  0.7%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
322,570
 • Estimate 
(2023)
320,154 Decrease
 • Density1,100/sq mi (440/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district6th
Websitewww.lexingtonky.gov

History

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Fayette County was formed in 1780, when the Virginia General Assembly partitioned Kentucky County.

Fayette County—originally Fayette County, Virginia—was established by the Virginia General Assembly in June 1780, when it abolished and subdivided Kentucky County into three counties: Fayette, Jefferson and Lincoln. Together, these counties and those set off from them later in that decade separated from Virginia in 1792 to become the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Originally, Fayette County included land which makes up 37 present-day counties and parts of 7 others. It was reduced to its present boundaries in 1799. The county is named for the Marquis de LaFayette, who moved to the United States to support the colonies rebelling against British rule during the American Revolutionary War.[3][4]

On January 1, 1974, Fayette County merged its government with that of its county seat of Lexington, creating a consolidated city-county governed by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.

Geography

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 286 square miles (740 km2), of which 284 square miles (740 km2) is land and 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2) (0.7%) is water.[5]

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
179018,410—
180014,028−23.8%
181021,37052.3%
182023,2508.8%
183025,0987.9%
184022,194−11.6%
185022,7352.4%
186022,599−0.6%
187026,65618.0%
188029,0238.9%
189035,69823.0%
190042,07117.9%
191047,71513.4%
192054,66414.6%
193068,54325.4%
194078,89915.1%
1950100,74627.7%
1960131,90630.9%
1970174,32332.2%
1980204,16517.1%
1990225,36610.4%
2000260,51215.6%
2010295,80313.5%
2020322,5709.0%
2023 (est.)320,154[6]−0.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2020[1]

As of the census[11] of 2010, there were 295,803 people, 123,043 households, and 69,661 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,034 inhabitants per square mile (399/km2). There were 135,160 housing units at an average density of 473 per square mile (183/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 75.7% White, 14.5% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.7% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. 6.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 123,043 households, out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.1% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.3 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.2% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 21, and 62.4% from 21 to 65. 10.5% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.7 years. 50.8% of the population was female.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,469, and the median income for a family was $66,690. Males had a median income of $44,343 versus $35,716 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,345. About 11.1% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.6% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

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Public high schools

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Schools in the county are operated by Fayette County Public Schools.

Private middle and elementary schools

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Private high schools

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Colleges and universities

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Politics

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United States presidential election results for Fayette County, Kentucky[13]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 56,287 40.33% 80,301 57.54% 2,973 2.13%
2020 58,860 38.49% 90,600 59.25% 3,452 2.26%
2016 56,894 41.74% 69,778 51.19% 9,643 7.07%
2012 60,795 48.30% 62,080 49.32% 2,991 2.38%
2008 59,884 46.91% 66,042 51.74% 1,722 1.35%
2004 66,406 52.88% 57,994 46.18% 1,176 0.94%
2000 54,495 51.67% 47,277 44.82% 3,705 3.51%
1996 42,930 46.33% 43,632 47.09% 6,102 6.59%
1992 41,908 43.87% 38,306 40.10% 15,320 16.04%
1988 48,065 58.96% 32,554 39.93% 906 1.11%
1984 51,993 63.60% 28,961 35.43% 792 0.97%
1980 35,349 49.22% 30,511 42.48% 5,957 8.29%
1976 35,170 54.12% 28,012 43.10% 1,807 2.78%
1972 42,362 66.54% 19,828 31.14% 1,476 2.32%
1968 24,948 49.53% 16,902 33.55% 8,523 16.92%
1964 18,739 42.40% 25,317 57.29% 136 0.31%
1960 25,169 60.43% 16,478 39.57% 0 0.00%
1956 21,904 61.38% 13,547 37.96% 232 0.65%
1952 17,376 54.66% 14,275 44.91% 138 0.43%
1948 10,959 41.91% 13,202 50.49% 1,988 7.60%
1944 10,857 44.14% 13,567 55.15% 174 0.71%
1940 12,514 44.01% 15,834 55.69% 84 0.30%
1936 11,544 44.10% 14,428 55.12% 203 0.78%
1932 11,847 42.51% 15,765 56.57% 257 0.92%
1928 16,988 65.11% 9,065 34.74% 39 0.15%
1924 11,755 52.20% 10,433 46.33% 331 1.47%
1920 11,032 45.70% 12,926 53.55% 181 0.75%
1916 5,472 45.95% 6,348 53.30% 89 0.75%
1912 4,060 37.80% 5,268 49.04% 1,414 13.16%
1908 4,748 46.76% 5,247 51.68% 158 1.56%
1904 3,947 42.87% 5,119 55.60% 141 1.53%
1900 5,302 54.78% 4,293 44.36% 83 0.86%
1896 5,143 55.54% 3,938 42.53% 179 1.93%
1892 2,431 37.19% 3,753 57.42% 352 5.39%
1888 3,301 48.13% 3,435 50.08% 123 1.79%
1884 3,000 53.19% 2,593 45.98% 47 0.83%
1880 2,830 53.20% 2,449 46.03% 41 0.77%

For much of the 20th century, Fayette County leaned more Republican than Kentucky as a whole. Between 1952 and 2004, it voted for the Republican nominee all but twice, for Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 and Bill Clinton in 1996, with the latter only carrying the county by a narrow plurality. Even Southern Democrat Jimmy Carter lost the county by 11 points in 1976, despite winning Kentucky by a comfortable margin.

Until the mid-2000s, it did not swing as heavily to the Democrats as other urban counties. From 1992 to 2016, it was a swing county with close results between the two parties. In 2008, Barack Obama became the first Democrat to win the county since Bill Clinton in 1996, and the first Democrat to win a majority of its votes since Johnson. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the county by the largest margin since Johnson, although it was one of only two counties in the entire Commonwealth to vote for her, the other being Jefferson County, home to the city of Louisville.

In 2020, Joe Biden turned in the strongest showing for a Democrat in the county in over a century, bettering even Franklin D. Roosevelt. In that year, Fayette County was the most Democratic county in the Commonwealth, giving Biden a slightly larger margin than Jefferson County, marking the first time since 1948 that Fayette County voted to the left of Jefferson County in a presidential election. This marked the first time that Fayette County was the most Democratic county in the state in Kentucky history. With nearly 60% of the vote, Biden received the highest percentage of the vote in the county of any Democratic candidate in history. Also in 2020, Donald Trump received the lowest portion of the vote for any Republican candidate in the county since William Howard Taft in 1912.

Communities

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City

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Unincorporated communities

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Historically black hamlets

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  • Bracktown
  • Cadentown
  • Jimtown
  • Smithtown
  • Little Georgetown
  • Pralltown

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 1. Kentucky State Historical Society. 1903. pp. 35.
  4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 124.
  5. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  6. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  7. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  8. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  9. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  10. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  11. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  12. ^ "Midway College - Lexington Campus". Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
  13. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
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38°02′N 84°28′W / 38.04°N 84.46°W / 38.04; -84.46

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