Eastern Kentucky's Hispanic Population is Booming
Even in counties where the overall population declined, Hispanic communities are rapidly growing.
When the 2020 census data was released last month, a great deal of attention was paid to how the majority of counties in Eastern Kentucky were shrinking, population-wise, while the “collar” counties surrounding Lexington had grown, in many cases, by double-digit percentages since 2010. Perhaps the greatest example of these eye-popping population upticks is Scott County, which grew a whopping 21 percent over the last decade—by far the largest increase in the state.
This information is fascinating, of course—I’m a demographics nerd, what can I say—but what’s even more interesting to me is tracking the diversification of the region via this latest government data set. That’s why we’ve broken down the changes in Hispanic populations between 2010-2020 in all of The Goldenrod’s counties in an effort to capture not just the 30,000 foot view of how populations are shifting, but the county-by-county details therein.
If there’s one major takeaway from the data, it’s that Hispanic communities are booming across Eastern Kentucky, even as counties’ overall populations shrink.
A few key takeaways:
- The two greatest increases are in Leslie County and Lawrence County, which saw Hispanic population growth of 110 and 196 percent, respectively.
- The “collar” counties surrounding Fayette—like Scott and Bourbon—had less significant growth than many of the counties further east, like Johnson County (87 percent) and Breathitt County (85 percent).
- Only one county saw a decline in Hispanic population over the decade: Garrard County with a 7 percent loss.
- Counties that make up the Daniel Boone National Forest and Red River Gorge area are a cluster of similar, and significant, increases. Powell and Lee County’s increases were right around 79 percent, while Owsley County saw a 77 percent jump.
Review all the detailed information—and see how we arrived at these findings—over on our spreadsheet.
It’s particularly exciting to share how Eastern Kentucky is diversifying in the middle of National Hispanic Heritage Month, a time for recognizing the contributions of Hispanic-Americans to the history and achievements of the United States. This new data also reveals that we have quite a way to go in Central and Eastern Kentucky when it comes to celebrating and accurately representing the various cultures that make up our region.
There is little-to-no Hispanic representation on small town school boards, city councils or county executive boards, despite year-over-year population growth—and it probably goes without saying this applies to state representatives and senators, too. And while there are some regional efforts underway to document the strong connections between Hispanic and Appalachian culture—seasoned musicians Carla Gover and Yani Vozos’ project Cornbread and Tortillas, for example, draws on the bedrock role of corn as a foundational ingredient—there’s so much more to be done.
Imagine a Hispanic Heritage Month parade through downtown Louisa in October, nestled among the seemingly endless stream of fall festivals and swap meets. Imagine if there were grants and resources available specifically to support Hispanic small business owners in Appalachian Kentucky. Imagine if we created more honest and inclusive curricula for our schools when it comes to race, ethnicity and history.
Imagine.
Further reading: Appalachia has a booming Hispanic population—and its growing food scene is making an impact
It’s the end of September, and we’ve been all over the map this month (ahem, in a good way) here on The Goldenrod. Among other things, we’ve looked at the religious iconography of the region through the lens of Harlan-based photographer Will Major, and explored what it takes to build a wilderness response team for Red River Gorge. We’ve discussed how expanded telehealth resources during COVID have revolutionized rural mental health care, and even built our very first digital art gallery with some AR trippiness. What’s more, our story about the rise of firearms in churches (with daycares in them, even!) has pricked more than a few legislative ears.
Oh, and did I mention we’re hiring?
You definitely don’t want to miss out on the stories we have on the way for October, when we’re seriously ramping up additional content, community opportunities and fun extras for paid subscribers. Why not sign up ASAP?