Allen County, Kentucky

County in Kentucky, United States

Not to be confused with Allen, Kentucky.

County in Kentucky

Allen County

County

Allen County Courthouse in Scottsville

Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky

Kentucky's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 36°45′N 86°11′W﻿ / ﻿36.75°N 86.19°W﻿ / 36.75; -86.19
Country|  United States
State|  Kentucky
Founded| 1815
Named after| John Allen
Seat| Scottsville
Largest city| Scottsville
Area

• Total

| 352 sq mi (910 km2)
• Land| 344 sq mi (890 km2)
• Water| 7.5 sq mi (19 km2)  2.1%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 20,588

• Estimate

(2024)

| 22,037
• Density| 58/sq mi (23/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 1st
Website| www.allencountykentucky.com

Allen County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,588.[1] Its county seat and only municipality is Scottsville.[2] The county is named for Colonel John Allen, a state senator and soldier who was killed leading the 1st Regiment of Kentucky Rifleman at the Battle of Frenchtown, Michigan during the War of 1812.[3] Allen County was a dry county until 2023, when it voted to legalize the sale of alcohol.[4] It was formed in 1815 from parts of Barren and Warren counties. Allen County is included in the Bowling Green, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area.

## History

[edit]

Allen County was established in 1815 from land given by Barren and Warren counties. A courthouse fire in 1902 resulted in the loss of some county records.[5]

## Geography

[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 352 square miles (910 km2), of which 344 square miles (890 km2) is land and 7.5 square miles (19 km2) (2.1%) is water.[6]

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* Warren County northwest
* Barren County northeast
* Monroe County east
* Macon County, Tennessee southeast
* Sumner County, Tennessee southwest
* Simpson County west

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1820| 5,327| | —
1830| 6,485| | 21.7%
1840| 7,329| | 13.0%
1850| 8,742| | 19.3%
1860| 9,187| | 5.1%
1870| 10,296| | 12.1%
1880| 12,089| | 17.4%
1890| 13,692| | 13.3%
1900| 14,657| | 7.0%
1910| 14,882| | 1.5%
1920| 16,761| | 12.6%
1930| 15,180| | −9.4%
1940| 15,496| | 2.1%
1950| 13,787| | −11.0%
1960| 12,269| | −11.0%
1970| 12,598| | 2.7%
1980| 14,128| | 12.1%
1990| 14,628| | 3.5%
2000| 17,800| | 21.7%
2010| 19,956| | 12.1%
2020| 20,588| | 3.2%
2024 (est.)| 22,037| [7]| 7.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10]
1990-2000[11] 2010-2020[1]

As of the census of 2000, there were 17,800 people, 6,910 households, and 5,113 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 per square mile (20/km2). There were 8,057 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile (8.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.62% White, 1.07% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 0.83% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,910 households, out of which 34.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.60% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.00% were non-families. 23.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.80% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 28.50% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,238, and the median income for a family was $36,815. Males had a median income of $27,587 versus $22,659 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,506. About 13.20% of families and 17.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.40% of those under age 18 and 20.40% of those age 65 or over.

## Politics

[edit]

United States presidential election results for Allen County, Kentucky[12] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2024 | 7,824  | 83.07% | 1,505  | 15.98%  | 89  | 0.94%
2020 | 7,587  | 81.02% | 1,642  | 17.54%  | 135  | 1.44%
2016 | 6,466  | 79.87% | 1,349  | 16.66%  | 281  | 3.47%
2012 | 5,184  | 73.01% | 1,808  | 25.46%  | 108  | 1.52%
2008 | 5,258  | 71.15% | 2,024  | 27.39%  | 108  | 1.46%
2004 | 5,202  | 72.62% | 1,923  | 26.85%  | 38  | 0.53%
2000 | 4,415  | 68.67% | 1,950  | 30.33%  | 64  | 1.00%
1996 | 3,032  | 57.97% | 1,781  | 34.05%  | 417  | 7.97%
1992 | 2,747  | 50.73% | 2,040  | 37.67%  | 628  | 11.60%
1988 | 3,342  | 67.89% | 1,573  | 31.95%  | 8  | 0.16%
1984 | 3,427  | 69.04% | 1,521  | 30.64%  | 16  | 0.32%
1980 | 3,186  | 60.36% | 2,010  | 38.08%  | 82  | 1.55%
1976 | 2,508  | 52.49% | 2,231  | 46.69%  | 39  | 0.82%
1972 | 3,025  | 69.83% | 1,259  | 29.06%  | 48  | 1.11%
1968 | 2,952  | 61.63% | 927  | 19.35%  | 911  | 19.02%
1964 | 2,309  | 53.18% | 2,023  | 46.59%  | 10  | 0.23%
1960 | 3,410  | 67.22% | 1,663  | 32.78%  | 0  | 0.00%
1956 | 3,200  | 61.62% | 1,975  | 38.03%  | 18  | 0.35%
1952 | 2,946  | 62.45% | 1,750  | 37.10%  | 21  | 0.45%
1948 | 2,280  | 55.81% | 1,605  | 39.29%  | 200  | 4.90%
1944 | 3,120  | 63.86% | 1,742  | 35.65%  | 24  | 0.49%
1940 | 3,232  | 61.11% | 2,036  | 38.49%  | 21  | 0.40%
1936 | 3,070  | 55.77% | 2,422  | 44.00%  | 13  | 0.24%
1932 | 3,219  | 50.55% | 3,116  | 48.93%  | 33  | 0.52%
1928 | 4,253  | 73.14% | 1,562  | 26.86%  | 0  | 0.00%
1924 | 3,132  | 56.52% | 2,373  | 42.83%  | 36  | 0.65%
1920 | 3,476  | 60.24% | 2,255  | 39.08%  | 39  | 0.68%
1916 | 2,147  | 56.03% | 1,647  | 42.98%  | 38  | 0.99%
1912 | 1,186  | 35.67%  | 1,366  | 41.08% | 773  | 23.25%

Allen County, like most of Kentucky, is increasingly solidly Republican, although it was like those counties to its east in Appalachia never a part of the "Solid South". The last Democrat to carry the county in a presidential election was Woodrow Wilson in 1912, although a number of other elections have given Democratic majorities as recently as the 1999 gubernatorial election.[13]

### Elected officials

[edit]

Elected officials as of January 3, 2025[14][15]

U.S. House | James Comer (R)  | KY 1
Ky. Senate | Max Wise (R)  | 16
Ky. House | Shawn McPherson (R)  | 22

### Voter registration

[edit]

Allen County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of July 2024[16]

Political Party  | Total Voters  | Percentage
| Republican | 10,332  | 67.17%
| Democratic | 3,696  | 24.03%
| Others  | 795  | 5.17%
| Independent  | 475  | 3.09%
| Libertarian | 60  | 0.39%
| Green | 13  | 0.08%
| Constitution | 7  | 0.04%
| Socialist Workers | 3  | 0.02%
| Reform | 1  | 0.01%
Total  | 15,382  | 100%

### Statewide elections

[edit]

Previous gubernatorial elections results  Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third parties

|
|
|

2023 | 70.40% 3,599 | 29.60% 1,513 | 0.00% 0
2019 | 67.13% 3,564 | 31.06% 1,649 | 1.81% 96
2015 | 69.00% 2,344 | 28.76% 977 | 2.24% 76
2011 | 53.21% 1,540 | 42.19% 1,221 | 4.60% 133
2007 | 51.79% 1,955 | 48.21% 1,820 | 0.00% 0
2003 | 64.99% 2,202 | 35.01% 1,186 | 0.00% 0
1999 | 28.68% 339 | 62.69% 741 | 8.63% 102
1995 | 57.95% 1,829 | 42.05% 1,327 | 0.00% 0

## Communities

[edit]

### City

[edit]

* Scottsville (county seat)

### Unincorporated communities

[edit]

* Adolphus
* Allen Springs
* Alonzo
* Amos
* Butlersville
* Cedar Springs
* Chapel Hill
* Clare
* Fleet
* Forest Springs
* Gainesville
* Halfway
* Halifax
* Holland
* Maynard
* Meador
* Mount Aerial
* Mount Zion
* New Roe
* Oak Forest
* Petroleum
* Pope
* Red Hill
* Rodemer
* Settle
* Trammel
* Yesse

## Notable residents

[edit]

* Mordecai Ham, an evangelist born in Allen County
* Jim McDaniels
* Charles Napier (actor)
* Norro Wilson
* R. H. Wilson, Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction
* Cal Turner Sr.

## See also

[edit]

* United States portal

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Allen County, Kentucky
* List of counties in Kentucky

36°45′N 86°11′W﻿ / ﻿36.75°N 86.19°W﻿ / 36.75; -86.19

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
3. ^ The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 1. Kentucky State Historical Society. 1903. pp. 34.
4. ^ Parham, Derek (May 17, 2023). "Prohibition comes to an end in Allen County with wet/dry decision". www.wbko.com. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
5. ^ Hogan, Roseann Reinemuth (1992). Kentucky Ancestry: A Guide to Genealogical and Historical Research. Ancestry Publishing. p. 187\. ISBN 9780916489496. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
6. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
7. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
8. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
9. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
10. ^ Forstall, Richard, ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
11. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
12. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
13. ^ Sullivan, Robert David; "How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century"; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
14. ^ "Senate Members - County". apps.legislature.ky.gov. Kentucky General Assembly. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
15. ^ "House Members - County". apps.legislature.ky.gov. Kentucky General Assembly. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
16. ^ "Commonwealth of Kentucky - State Board of Elections Voter Registration Statistics Report" (PDF). July 2024. Retrieved August 4, 2024.

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Allen County, Kentucky, United States

County seat: Scottsville

City|

* Scottsville

Location of Allen County, Kentucky

Unincorporated
communities|

* Adolphus
* Allen Springs
* Alonzo
* Amos
* Butlersville
* Cedar Springs
* Chapel Hill
* Clare
* Fleet
* Forest Springs
* Gainesville
* Halfway
* Halifax
* Holland
* Maynard
* Meador
* Mount Aerial
* Mount Zion
* New Roe
* Oak Forest
* Petroleum
* Pope
* Red Hill
* Rodemer
* Settle
* Trammel
* Yesse

* Kentucky portal
* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

Bowling Green metropolitan area

Principal city|

* Bowling Green

Other municipalities|

* Brownsville
* Morgantown
* Oakland
* Plum Springs
* Rochester
* Scottsville
* Smiths Grove
* Woodburn
* Woodbury

Counties|

* Allen
* Butler
* Edmonson
* Warren

* v
* t
* e

Commonwealth of Kentucky

Frankfort (capital)

Topics|

* Index
* Cuisine
* Environment
* climate change
* Geography
* History
* History of education
* Music
* Mass media
* newspapers
* radio
* TV
* People
* Religion
* Symbols
* seal
* flag
* Theater
* Tourism
* tourist attractions
* Transportation
* Category
* Index

Society|

* Abortion
* Culture
* Crime
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Elections
* Gun laws
* Homelessness
* LGBT rights
* Politics
* Sports

Regions|

* Allegheny Plateau
* The Bluegrass
* Cumberland Mountains
* Cumberland Plateau
* Eastern Kentucky Coalfield
* Highland Rim
* The Knobs
* Mississippi Plain
* Northern Kentucky
* Pennyroyal Plateau
* The Purchase
* Ridge-and-Valley
* Tennessee Valley
* Western Coal Fields

25 largest
cities|

* Louisville
* Lexington
* Bowling Green
* Owensboro
* Covington
* Richmond
* Georgetown
* Florence
* Hopkinsville
* Nicholasville
* Elizabethtown
* Independence
* Henderson
* Frankfort
* Jeffersontown
* Paducah
* Radcliff
* Ashland
* Murray
* Erlanger
* Winchester
* Madisonville
* Mount Washington
* St. Matthews
* Danville

Metropolitan
areas|

* Ashland
* Bowling Green
* Clarksville, TN
* Elizabethtown
* Evansville, IN
* Lexington–Fayette
* Louisville/Jefferson County
* Northern Kentucky
* Owensboro

Counties|

* Adair
* Allen
* Anderson
* Ballard
* Barren
* Bath
* Bell
* Boone
* Bourbon
* Boyd
* Boyle
* Bracken
* Breathitt
* Breckinridge
* Bullitt
* Butler
* Caldwell
* Calloway
* Campbell
* Carlisle
* Carroll
* Carter
* Casey
* Christian
* Clark
* Clay
* Clinton
* Crittenden
* Cumberland
* Daviess
* Edmonson
* Elliott
* Estill
* Fayette
* Fleming
* Floyd
* Franklin
* Fulton
* Gallatin
* Garrard
* Grant
* Graves
* Grayson
* Green
* Greenup
* Hancock
* Hardin
* Harlan
* Harrison
* Hart
* Henderson
* Henry
* Hickman
* Hopkins
* Jackson
* Jefferson
* Jessamine
* Johnson
* Kenton
* Knott
* Knox
* LaRue
* Laurel
* Lawrence
* Lee
* Leslie
* Letcher
* Lewis
* Lincoln
* Livingston
* Logan
* Lyon
* Madison
* Magoffin
* Marion
* Marshall
* Martin
* Mason
* McCracken
* McCreary
* McLean
* Meade
* Menifee
* Mercer
* Metcalfe
* Monroe
* Montgomery
* Morgan
* Muhlenberg
* Nelson
* Nicholas
* Ohio
* Oldham
* Owen
* Owsley
* Pendleton
* Perry
* Pike
* Powell
* Pulaski
* Robertson
* Rockcastle
* Rowan
* Russell
* Scott
* Shelby
* Simpson
* Spencer
* Taylor
* Todd
* Trigg
* Trimble
* Union
* Warren
* Washington
* Wayne
* Webster
* Whitley
* Wolfe
* Woodford

Kentucky portal

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States
* Israel

Geographic|

* MusicBrainz area

Other|

* NARA
* Yale LUX

*[Pop.]: Population
*[%±]: Percent change
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template