The United States Commonwealth of Kentucky currently has 32 statistical areas that have been delineated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). On July 21, 2023, the OMB delineated 8 combined statistical areas, 9 metropolitan statistical areas, and 15 micropolitan statistical areas in Kentucky. As of 2023, the largest of these is the Louisville-Jefferson County--Elizabethtown, KY-IN CSA, comprising greater Louisville, Kentucky's largest city.

Statistical areas

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has designated more than 1,000 statistical areas for the United States and Puerto Rico. These statistical areas are important geographic delineations of population clusters used by the OMB, the United States Census Bureau, planning organizations, and federal, state, and local government entities.

The OMB defines a core-based statistical area (commonly referred to as a CBSA) as the county or counties (or county-equivalents) surrounding at least one densely-settled core of at least 10,000 population, "plus adjacent counties having a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured through commuting ties with the counties containing the core". The OMB further divides core-based statistical areas based on population into metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) for those with at least 50,000 and micropolitan statistical areas (μSAs) for those with 10,000 to 49,999 people.

The OMB defines a combined statistical area (CSA) as two or more adjacent core-based statistical areas where the employment interchange rate (% commuting from A to B plus % commuting from B to A) is at least 15%. The primary statistical areas (PSAs) include all combined statistical areas and any core-based statistical area that is not a constituent of a combined statistical area.

The 32 United States statistical areas and 120 counties of the Commonwealth of Kentucky
Combined statistical area2025 population (est.)Core-based statistical area2025 population (est.)County2025 population (est.)
Louisville/Jefferson County–-Elizabethtown, KY-IN CSA1,531,175 1,219,052 (KY)Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN MSA1,402,509 1,090,386 (KY)Jefferson County, Kentucky795,222
Clark County, Indiana130,451
Bullitt County, Kentucky86,454
Floyd County, Indiana82,153
Oldham County, Kentucky70,986
Shelby County, Kentucky51,243
Nelson County, Kentucky49,036
Harrison County, Indiana40,437
Meade County, Kentucky30,699
Washington County, Indiana28,383
Spencer County, Kentucky20,998
Henry County, Kentucky16,447
Elizabethtown, KY MSA128,666Hardin County, Kentucky113,482
LaRue County, Kentucky15,184
Lexington-Fayette--Richmond--Frankfort, KY CSA793,282Lexington-Fayette, KY MSA535,174Fayette County, Kentucky329,751
Scott County, Kentucky62,262
Jessamine County, Kentucky57,147
Clark County, Kentucky37,888
Woodford County, Kentucky27,883
Bourbon County, Kentucky20,243
Richmond-Berea, KY μSA131,806Madison County, Kentucky101,696
Rockcastle County, Kentucky16,148
Estill County, Kentucky13,962
Frankfort, KY μSA77,874Franklin County, Kentucky52,649
Anderson County, Kentucky25,225
Mount Sterling, KY μSA48,428Montgomery County, Kentucky28,822
Bath County, Kentucky13,176
Menifee County, Kentucky6,430
Cincinnati-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN CSA2,355,159 474,868 (KY)Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN MSA2,312,858 474,868 (KY)Hamilton County, Ohio838,418
Butler County, Ohio400,128
Warren County, Ohio257,181
Clermont County, Ohio216,977
Kenton County, Kentucky175,779
Boone County, Kentucky145,316
Campbell County, Kentucky95,441
Dearborn County, Indiana51,609
Brown County, Ohio44,397
Grant County, Kentucky26,181
Franklin County, Indiana23,286
Pendleton County, Kentucky14,800
Gallatin County, Kentucky8,840
Bracken County, Kentucky8,511
Ohio County, Indiana5,994
Wilmington, OH μSA42,301Clinton County, Ohio42,301
Bowling Green-Glasgow, KY CSA274,192Bowling Green, KY MSA197,180Warren County, Kentucky149,375
Allen County, Kentucky22,536
Edmonson County, Kentucky12,749
Butler County, Kentucky12,520
Glasgow, KY μSA56,224Barren County, Kentucky45,641
Metcalfe County, Kentucky10,583
Franklin, KY μSA20,788Simpson County, Kentucky20,788
Middlesborough-Corbin, KY CSA172,869Corbin, KY μSA150,040Laurel County, Kentucky63,746
Whitley County, Kentucky37,297
Knox County, Kentucky29,532
Clay County, Kentucky19,465
Middlesborough, KY μSA22,829Bell County, Kentucky22,829
Charleston-Huntington-Ashland, WV-OH-KY CSA637,500 124,878 (KY)Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH MSA365,965 124,878 (KY)Cabell County, West Virginia91,183
Putnam County, West Virginia56,885
Lawrence County, Ohio55,710
Boyd County, Kentucky47,751
Wayne County, West Virginia37,309
Greenup County, Kentucky35,213
Carter County, Kentucky26,149
Lawrence County, Kentucky15,765
Charleston, WV MSA200,170Kanawha County, West Virginia172,381
Boone County, West Virginia20,251
Clay County, West Virginia7,538
Portsmouth, OH μSA71,365Scioto County, Ohio71,365
Paducah-Mayfield, KY-IL CSA139,309 125,807 (KY)Paducah, KY-IL MSA102,259 88,757 (KY)McCracken County, Kentucky67,553
Massac County, Illinois13,502
Livingston County, Kentucky8,863
Ballard County, Kentucky7,594
Carlisle County, Kentucky4,747
Mayfield, KY μSA37,050Graves County, Kentucky37,050
noneOwensboro, KY MSA123,012Daviess County, Kentucky104,898
McLean County, Kentucky9,064
Pikeville, KY μSA89,122Pike County, Kentucky54,721
Floyd County, Kentucky34,401
Clarksville, TN-KY MSA349,001 84,627 (KY)Montgomery County, Tennessee249,935
Christian County, Kentucky70,115
Trigg County, Kentucky14,512
Stewart County, Tennessee14,439
Somerset, KY μSA67,384Pulaski County, Kentucky67,384
Evansville-Henderson, IN-KY CSA330,970 57,184 (KY)Evansville, IN MSA270,717Vanderburgh County, Indiana181,995
Warrick County, Indiana66,803
Posey County, Indiana24,988
Henderson, KY μSA57,184Henderson County, Kentucky44,255
Webster County, Kentucky12,929
noneDanville, KY μSA56,985Boyle County, Kentucky31,632
Lincoln County, Kentucky25,353
Madisonville, KY μSA45,127Hopkins County, Kentucky45,127
Murray, KY μSA39,421Calloway County, Kentucky39,421
Campbellsville, KY μSA38,407Taylor County, Kentucky26,763
Green County, Kentucky11,644
noneMarshall County, Kentucky31,659
Muhlenberg County, Kentucky30,634
Logan County, Kentucky28,669
Perry County, Kentucky26,555
Grayson County, Kentucky27,406
Harlan County, Kentucky24,725
Rowan County, Kentucky24,476
Ohio County, Kentucky23,934
Mercer County, Kentucky23,733
Johnson County, Kentucky22,051
Breckinridge County, Kentucky21,503
Letcher County, Kentucky19,952
Marion County, Kentucky20,115
Hart County, Kentucky20,117
Wayne County, Kentucky19,597
Harrison County, Kentucky19,627
Adair County, Kentucky19,423
Russell County, Kentucky18,608
Garrard County, Kentucky18,207
McCreary County, Kentucky17,124
Mason County, Kentucky16,936
Casey County, Kentucky16,205
Fleming County, Kentucky15,787
Morgan County, Kentucky14,415
Knott County, Kentucky13,321
Union County, Kentucky12,839
Jackson County, Kentucky13,325
Lewis County, Kentucky12,901
Powell County, Kentucky12,812
Breathitt County, Kentucky12,558
Caldwell County, Kentucky12,609
Todd County, Kentucky12,972
Washington County, Kentucky12,368
Owen County, Kentucky11,601
Monroe County, Kentucky11,191
Magoffin County, Kentucky11,110
Carroll County, Kentucky11,141
Martin County, Kentucky10,697
Leslie County, Kentucky9,627
Lyon County, Kentucky9,123
Clinton County, Kentucky9,139
Crittenden County, Kentucky8,807
Hancock County, Kentucky9,050
Trimble County, Kentucky8,701
Nicholas County, Kentucky7,949
Lee County, Kentucky7,297
Elliott County, Kentucky7,265
Fulton County, Kentucky6,218
Wolfe County, Kentucky6,298
Cumberland County, Kentucky5,992
Hickman County, Kentucky4,372
Owsley County, Kentucky3,932
Robertson County, Kentucky2,325
Commonwealth of Kentucky4,606,864
The 24 core-based statistical areas of the Commonwealth of Kentucky
2025 rankCore-based statistical areaPopulation
2025 estimateChange2020 CensusChange2010 Census
1Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN MSA (KY)1,090,386−0.22%1,092,767+6.89%1,022,321
2Lexington-Fayette, KY MSA535,174+3.55%516,811+12.79%458,216
3Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN MSA (KY)474,868+4.42%454,783+6.89%425,483
4Bowling Green, KY MSA197,180+9.76%179,639+13.27%158,599
5Corbin, KY μSA150,040+0.12%149,863+1.19%148,099
6Elizabethtown, KY MSA128,666+2.47%125,569+4.87%119,736
7Richmond-Berea, KY μSA131,806+7.25%122,901+7.20%114,644
8Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH MSA (KY)124,878−1.78%127,143−2.22%130,032
9Owensboro, KY MSA123,012+9.38%112,464+5.91%106,187
10Pikeville, KY μSA89,122−5.80%94,611−9.44%104,475
11Paducah, KY-IL MSA (KY)88,757−0.63%89,317+1.00%88,437
12Clarksville, TN-KY MSA (KY)84,627−2.63%86,909−1.57%88,294
13Frankfort, KY μSA77,874+3.29%75,393+6.63%70,706
14Somerset, KY μSA67,384+3.61%65,034+3.08%63,093
15Henderson, KY μSA57,184−1.08%57,810−3.44%59,871
16Danville, KY μSA56,985+3.82%54,889+3.23%53,174
17Glasgow, KY μSA56,224+2.65%54,771+4.78%52,272
18Mount Sterling, KY μSA48,428+3.09%46,977+5.81%44,396
19Madisonville, KY μSA45,127−0.65%45,423−3.19%46,920
20Murray, KY μSA39,421+6.25%37,103−0.24%37,191
21Campbellsville, KY μSA38,407+3.44%37,130+3.80%35,770
22Mayfield, KY μSA37,050+1.09%36,649−1.27%37,121
23Middlesborough, KY μSA22,829−5.26%24,097−16.01%28,691
24Franklin, KY μSA20,788+6.09%19,594+13.08%17,327
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN MSA2,312,858+2.80%2,249,797+5.62%2,130,151
Clarksville, TN-KY MSA349,001+8.88%320,535+17.01%273,949
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH MSA365,965−2.71%376,155−2.74%386,768
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN MSA1,402,509+2.96%1,362,180+6.86%1,274,757
Paducah, KY-IL MSA102,259−1.19%103,486−0.37%103,866
The eight combined statistical areas of the Commonwealth of Kentucky
2025 rankCombined statistical areaPopulation
2025 estimateChange2020 CensusChange2010 Census
1Louisville/Jefferson County--Elizabethtown, KY-IN CSA (KY)1,219,052+0.06%1,218,336+6.68%1,142,057
2Lexington-Fayette--Richmond--Frankfort, KY CSA793,282+4.09%762,082+10.77%687,962
3Cincinnati-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN CSA (KY)474,868+4.42%454,783+6.89%425,483
4Bowling Green-Glasgow-Franklin, KY CSA274,192+7.95%254,004+11.31%228,198
5Middlesborough-Corbin, KY CSA172,869−0.63%173,960−1.60%176,790
6Paducah-Mayfield, KY-IL CSA (KY)125,807−0.13%125,966+0.32%125,558
7Charleston-Huntington-Ashland, WV-OH-KY CSA (KY)124,878−1.78%127,143−2.22%130,032
8Evansville-Henderson, IN-KY CSA (KY)57,184−1.08%57,810−3.44%59,871
Charleston-Huntington-Ashland, WV-OH-KY CSA637,500−3.52%660,768−4.70%693,345
Cincinnati-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN CSA2,355,159+2.76%2,291,815+5.51%2,172,191
Evansville-Henderson, IN-KY CSA330,970+1.19%327,066+0.58%325,173
Louisville/Jefferson County--Elizabethtown, KY-IN CSA1,531,175+2.92%1,487,749+6.69%1,394,493
Paducah-Mayfield, KY-IL CSA139,309−0.59%140,135−0.60%140,987

See also

Notes

External links

37°32′05″N 85°18′08″W/37.5347°N 85.3021°W/ 37.5347; -85.3021(Commonwealth of Kentucky)