Nicholas County, Kentucky: commercial real estate data.
Nicholas County, Kentucky has a population of 7,708 across 195 square miles, up 3.8 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $130.6 m in 2024, 82 establishments operate here.
74 sourced county values · tier FULL · 8 sections
Nicholas County
How many people live in Nicholas County
- Population7,708
- Households2,776
- Average household size2.78
- Median household income$59,531
- Median age40.6
- Median gross rent$728 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$123,000
- Home value to household income2.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income14.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher9.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree4.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over5,184
- Population under 181,879
- Share under 1824.4 percent
- Population 65 and over1,299
- Share 65 and over16.9 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 644,530
- Civilian labor force3,366
- Unemployment rate6.1 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over57.7 percent
- Rank by population among Kentucky counties109th of 120
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2672nd
Nicholas County is the 109th largest of 120 Kentucky counties by population. A median home costs 2.1 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 24.4 percent against 16.9 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Nicholas County
Is Nicholas County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base3.80 percent
- Census 2020 base population7,530
- Births, 202499
- Deaths, 202497
- Natural change, 20242
- Net domestic migration, 2024140
- Net international migration, 20240
- Total net migration, 2024140
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024355
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents724th
The county has grown 3.80 percent since the 2020 census base. Migration contributed more to 2024 change than births over deaths, so demand here follows people arriving rather than families forming.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Nicholas County
Where people moving to Nicholas County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving144
- People arriving, from those returns289
- Adjusted gross income arriving$6.1 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$42,563
- Largest single originNicholas County Non-migrants (2,542 households)
- Largest single destination (2,542 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas County Non-migrants | 2,542 | 5,538 | $122.7 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 76 | 140 | $3.7 m |
| Bourbon County | 48 | 112 | $1.8 m |
| Harrison County | 20 | 37 | $641,000 |
The largest single source of arrivals is Nicholas County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Nicholas County
What the Nicholas County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$130.6 m
- County GDP, 2023$121.1 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20247.9 percent
- GDP change over five years37.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among Kentucky counties116th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents3014th
- GDP per resident$16,944
Output grew 7.9 percent in the latest year and 37.1 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Nicholas County
Who employs people in Nicholas County
- Covered employment, annual average955
- Establishments reporting124
- Average annual pay$36,536
- Average weekly wage$703
- Sector 62, employment140
- Sector 62, average annual pay$37,921
- Sector 31-33, employment132
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$38,392
- Sector 44-45, employment102
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$23,190
- Sector 81, employment30
- Sector 81, average annual pay$37,695
- Sector 52, employment20
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 140 | 18 | $37,921 |
| Sector 31-33 | 132 | 8 | $38,392 |
| Sector 44-45 | 102 | 18 | $23,190 |
| Sector 81 | 30 | 5 | $37,695 |
| Sector 52 | 20 | 8 | $40,078 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 140 jobs, 14.7 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Nicholas County
What businesses operate in Nicholas County
- Establishments, all industries82
- Employment at those establishments415
- Annual payroll$15.0 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents10.6
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Nicholas County
What is being built in Nicholas County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20240
- Declared construction value permitted$0
- Single family units authorised0
- Multifamily units authorised0
No residential units were authorised by permit in 2024. In a small county this is common and is not by itself a sign of distress, but it does mean there is no recent residential pipeline to read demand from.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Nicholas County
How big is Nicholas County
- Land area195 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Kentucky counties105th of 120
- Width, east to west18.8 mi
- Height, north to south18.5 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land40
- Establishments per square mile0.42
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No 7(a) approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2020 onward.
- No 504 approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2010 onward.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Nicholas County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Nicholas County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population7,708
- Households2,776
- Average household size2.78
- Median household income$59,531
- Median age40.6
Common questions
Nicholas County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Nicholas County, Kentucky?
7,708, in 2,776 households, ranking 109th of 120 Kentucky counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Nicholas County growing?
The population has grown 3.80 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 99 births against 97 deaths, with net migration of 140. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Nicholas County?
$59,531. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $123,000, which is 2.1 times income, and median gross rent is $728 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Nicholas County?
82 establishments, employing 415 people with an annual payroll of $15.0 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Nicholas County?
Average annual pay is $36,536, or $703 a week, across 955 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
What is being built in Nicholas County?
No residential units were authorised by permit in 2024. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Nicholas County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Nicholas County come from?
The largest single origin is Nicholas County Non-migrants, with 2,542 households. Arriving households report an average income of $42,563 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Nicholas County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Nicholas County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.