Wolfe County, Kentucky: commercial real estate data.
Wolfe County, Kentucky has a population of 6,443 across 222 square miles, down 3.0 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $157.4 m in 2024, 96 establishments operate here.
71 sourced county values · tier FULL · 7 sections
Wolfe County
How many people live in Wolfe County
- Population6,443
- Households2,673
- Average household size2.41
- Median household income$30,417
- Median age42.3
- Median gross rent$501 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$75,800
- Home value to household income2.5 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income19.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher8.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree4.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over4,512
- Population under 181,444
- Share under 1822.4 percent
- Population 65 and over1,249
- Share 65 and over19.4 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 643,750
- Civilian labor force1,889
- Unemployment rate13.1 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over37.8 percent
- Rank by population among Kentucky counties113th of 120
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2778th
Wolfe County is the 113th largest of 120 Kentucky counties by population. A median home costs 2.5 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 22.4 percent against 19.4 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Wolfe County
Is Wolfe County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-3.02 percent
- Census 2020 base population6,562
- Births, 202493
- Deaths, 2024138
- Natural change, 2024-45
- Net domestic migration, 2024-40
- Net international migration, 202479
- Total net migration, 202439
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-137
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2744th
The county has lost 3.02 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Wolfe County
Where people moving to Wolfe County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving92
- People arriving, from those returns178
- Adjusted gross income arriving$3.2 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$35,272
- Largest single originWolfe County Non-migrants (1,938 households)
- Largest single destination (1,938 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolfe County Non-migrants | 1,938 | 4,342 | $85.3 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 72 | 135 | $2.5 m |
| Breathitt County | 20 | 43 | $719,000 |
The largest single source of arrivals is Wolfe 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.
Wolfe County
What the Wolfe County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$157.4 m
- County GDP, 2023$147.0 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20247.0 percent
- GDP change over five years42.3 percent
- Rank by GDP among Kentucky counties115th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2966th
- GDP per resident$24,423
Output grew 7.0 percent in the latest year and 42.3 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.
Wolfe County
Who employs people in Wolfe County
- Covered employment, annual average1,564
- Establishments reporting189
- Average annual pay$39,134
- Average weekly wage$753
- Sector 72, employment210
- Sector 72, average annual pay$27,295
- Sector 44-45, employment150
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$27,123
- Sector 42, employment114
- Sector 42, average annual pay$45,512
- Sector 71, employment58
- Sector 71, average annual pay$26,164
- Sector 48-49, employment32
- Sector 31-33, employment26
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 72 | 210 | 17 | $27,295 |
| Sector 44-45 | 150 | 25 | $27,123 |
| Sector 42 | 114 | 8 | $45,512 |
| Sector 71 | 58 | 4 | $26,164 |
| Sector 48-49 | 32 | 7 | $68,624 |
| Sector 31-33 | 26 | 6 | $61,158 |
| Sector 56 | 18 | 4 | $39,173 |
| Sector 54 | 15 | 11 | $123,542 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 210 jobs, 13.4 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job exceeds median household income, which usually means single earner households and a wage base that can carry rent.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Wolfe County
What businesses operate in Wolfe County
- Establishments, all industries96
- Employment at those establishments1,059
- Annual payroll$39.9 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents14.9
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.
Wolfe County
How big is Wolfe County
- Land area222 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Kentucky counties94th of 120
- Width, east to west25.4 mi
- Height, north to south15.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land29
- Establishments per square mile0.43
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.
- The Building Permits Survey does not carry a 2024 record for this county.
- 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 Wolfe 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 Wolfe County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population6,443
- Households2,673
- Average household size2.41
- Median household income$30,417
- Median age42.3
Common questions
Wolfe County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Wolfe County, Kentucky?
6,443, in 2,673 households, ranking 113th of 120 Kentucky counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Wolfe County growing?
The population has fallen 3.02 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 93 births against 138 deaths, with net migration of 39. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Wolfe County?
$30,417. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $75,800, which is 2.5 times income, and median gross rent is $501 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Wolfe County?
96 establishments, employing 1,059 people with an annual payroll of $39.9 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 Wolfe County?
Average annual pay is $39,134, or $753 a week, across 1,564 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
What is the radon zone for Wolfe 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 Wolfe County come from?
The largest single origin is Wolfe County Non-migrants, with 1,938 households. Arriving households report an average income of $35,272 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 Wolfe 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 Wolfe 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.