The story
History
Pike County is Kentucky's easternmost county and its largest by land area. It is Kentucky's 11th most populous county, immediately preceded by Bullitt County and followed by Christian County. It is Kentucky's third largest banking center, with financial institutions and holding companies with more than $1 billion in assets. Between 1995 and 2000, personal income increased by 28%, and the county's per capita income exceeded the national and state average growth rates of the previous decade. Pike County is the 71st Kentucky county in order of creation.
Pike County was founded on December 19, 1821, from a portion of Floyd County. The county was named for General Zebulon Pike, the explorer who discovered Pikes Peak and became a national hero and namesake after his death in the War of 1812. Between 1860 and 1891 the Hatfield-McCoy feud raged in Pike and in bordering Logan County, West Virginia (now Mingo County). On May 6, 1893, Pikeville officially became a city and the county seat.
Pike County is also home to former governor of Kentucky Paul E. Patton.
The Appalachian News Express, published in Pikeville, is preserved on microfilm by the University of Kentucky Libraries. The microfilm holdings are listed in a master negative database on the university's Libraries Preservation and Digital Programs website.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 58,669. The median age was 43.5 years. 20.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.3 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 95.4% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.4% from some other race, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.2% of the population.
15.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 84.8% lived in rural areas.
There were 24,534 households in the county, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 29.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
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There were 28,693 housing units, of which 14.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.0% were owner-occupied and 28.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.4%.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 68,736 people, 27,612 households, and 20,377 families residing in the county. The population density was 87 per square mile (34/km2). There were 30,923 housing units at an average density of 39 per square mile (15/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.35% White, 0.45% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. 0.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
The largest self-reported ancestry groups in Pike County, Kentucky are:
18.2% "American"
16.1% English
13.1% Irish
6.7% German
2.3% Scots-Irish
1.3% Italian
There were 27,612 households, out of which 33.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.80% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.20% were non-families. 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.90.
The age distribution was 23.70% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $23,930, and the median income for a family was $29,302. Males had a median income of $32,332 versus $19,229 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,005. About 20.60% of families and 23.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.20% of those under age 18 and 16.10% of those age 65 or over. The zip codes 41502 (Pikeville), 41503 (South Williamson), and 41527 (Forest Hills) are the wealthiest portions of the county. 41502 is the 50th wealthiest zip code in Kentucky, 41503 is the 61st wealthiest, and 41527 is the 63rd wealthiest. South Williamson and Forest Hills are located on the Northeast side of the county. These three areas combine to 2,129 residents and make up around 3% of the county's population. The average income for these areas are $51,962 (41502), $49,345 (41503), and $48,484 (41527).
From Wikipedia’s article on Pike County, Kentucky, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4