Nelson County Demographics

A map of Nelson County's Population by Race

Nelson County, Kentucky had a population of 46,738 in 2020. It was 88.0% White, 4.7% Black, 0.6% Asian, 2.6% Hispanic, 0.4% Native American/Other, and 3.8% Multiracial. This map presents the population of Nelson County, with one dot drawn for each person counted in the 2020 Census, color-coded by race.

Nelson County is the 22nd most populous county of the 120 counties in Kentucky.

Nelson County's White Population

41,113 residents of Nelson County identify as White, or 88.0%. This makes the White share of the population of Nelson County slightly larger than the White share of the population of Kentucky (81.3% White). Of the 120 counties in Kentucky, Nelson County is ranked #82 in terms of White residents as a share of the population.

Nelson County is more White than neighboring Washington County (86.4% White), and Marion County (85.7% White). Nelson County is less White than neighboring Spencer County (91.1% White), Bullitt County (91% White), and Larue County (89.5% White).

Nelson County's Black Population

2,183 residents of Nelson County identify as Black, or 4.7%. This makes the Black share of the population of Nelson County roughly similar to the Black share of the population of Kentucky (7.9% Black). Of the 120 counties in Kentucky, Nelson County is ranked #31 in terms of Black residents as a share of the population.

Nelson County is more Black than neighboring Spencer County (1.5% Black), Bullitt County (1.3% Black), and Larue County (2.5% Black). Nelson County is less Black than neighboring Washington County (5.4% Black), and Marion County (6.2% Black).

Nelson County's Asian Population

267 residents of Nelson County identify as Asian, or 0.6%. This makes the Asian share of the population of Nelson County roughly similar to the Asian share of the population of Kentucky (1.6% Asian). Of the 120 counties in Kentucky, Nelson County is ranked #33 in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population.

Nelson County is more Asian than neighboring Spencer County (0.5% Asian), Bullitt County (0.5% Asian), Washington County (0.3% Asian), and Larue County (0.2% Asian).

Nelson County's Hispanic Population

1,214 residents of Nelson County identify as Hispanic, or 2.6%. This makes the Hispanic share of the population of Nelson County roughly similar to the Hispanic share of the population of Kentucky (4.6% Hispanic). Of the 120 counties in Kentucky, Nelson County is ranked #52 in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population.

Nelson County is more Hispanic than neighboring Spencer County (2.3% Hispanic). Nelson County is less Hispanic than neighboring Washington County (3.9% Hispanic), Marion County (3.5% Hispanic), and Larue County (3.2% Hispanic).

Nelson County's Native American/Other Population

195 residents of Nelson County identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other, or 0.4%. This makes the Native American/Other share of the population of Nelson County roughly similar to the Native American/Other share of the population of Kentucky (0.6% Native American/Other). Of the 120 counties in Kentucky, Nelson County is ranked #64 in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population.

Nelson County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Bullitt County (0.5% Native American/Other), Washington County (0.7% Native American/Other), Marion County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Larue County (0.7% Native American/Other).

Nelson County's Multiracial Population

1,766 residents of Nelson County identify as Multiracial, or 3.8%. This makes the Multiracial share of the population of Nelson County roughly similar to the Multiracial share of the population of Kentucky (3.9% Multiracial). Of the 120 counties in Kentucky, Nelson County is ranked #40 in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population.

Nelson County is more Multiracial than neighboring Washington County (3.2% Multiracial), and Marion County (3.5% Multiracial). Nelson County is less Multiracial than neighboring Spencer County (4.2% Multiracial), Bullitt County (4.2% Multiracial), and Larue County (3.9% Multiracial).

Source: 2020 Census State Redistricting Data and Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.