Kentucky grew more diverse in the past decade as white population declined in 2020, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Aug 12. The commonwealth’s population rose by 3.8% since 2010, helped by a significant increase in multiracial and Hispanic populations.
With a 2.2% decline, white residents accounted for 81% of the state’s population in 2020, down from 86% in 2010. Black Kentuckians made up 7.9% of the state in 2020, compared to 7.7% in 2010.
Multiracial and Hispanic communities were the fastest growing groups in the past decade –– as the population with more than one race nearly tripled while the Hispanic population grew by 56%. Kentucky’s Asian population rose by 53% and accounted for 1.6% of the state’s population.
The Census Bureau reports data for at least five groups: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. The Bureau also uses a sixth category – Some Other Race. A person can be of Hispanic ethnicity, regardless of race. In this analysis, we used non-Hispanic populations for all races and assumed Hispanic as a separate category.
Explore the map on the racial makeup of places in Kentucky on WFPL. Or open the map in a separate window.
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