County in Kentucky, United States
County in Kentucky
Wolfe County
is a
county
located in the
U.S. state
of
Kentucky
. As of the
2020 census
, the population was 6,562.
[1]
Its
county seat
is
Campton
.
[2]
The county is named for Nathaniel Wolfe.
History
[
edit
]
Wolfe County was formed on March 5, 1860, from portions of Breathitt County, Morgan County, Owsley County and Powell County. It was named for
Nathaneal Wolfe
, a member of the legislative assembly.
[3]
Campton
, the county's seat was reportedly formed from camp town in Wolfe County. A small creek winding through Campton, Swift Creek, is named after Jonathan Swift of the legend of
Swift's silver mine
. Swift supposedly buried treasure in the area which has never been recovered.
Geography
[
edit
]
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
, the county has a total area of 223 square miles (580 km
2
), of which 222 square miles (570 km
2
) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km
2
) (0.3%) is water.
[4]
Adjacent counties
[
edit
]
National protected area
[
edit
]
State protected area
[
edit
]
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
Census
| Pop.
| Note
| %±
|
1870
| 3,603
| | ?
|
---|
1880
| 5,638
| | 56.5%
|
---|
1890
| 7,180
| | 27.4%
|
---|
1900
| 8,764
| | 22.1%
|
---|
1910
| 9,864
| | 12.6%
|
---|
1920
| 8,783
| | ?11.0%
|
---|
1930
| 8,425
| | ?4.1%
|
---|
1940
| 9,997
| | 18.7%
|
---|
1950
| 7,615
| | ?23.8%
|
---|
1960
| 6,534
| | ?14.2%
|
---|
1970
| 5,669
| | ?13.2%
|
---|
1980
| 6,698
| | 18.2%
|
---|
1990
| 6,503
| | ?2.9%
|
---|
2000
| 7,065
| | 8.6%
|
---|
2010
| 7,355
| | 4.1%
|
---|
2020
| 6,562
| | ?10.8%
|
---|
2023 (est.)
| 6,282
| [5]
| ?4.3%
|
---|
As of the
census
[11]
of 2000, there were 7,065 people, 2,816 households, and 1,976 families residing in the county. The
population density
was 32 per square mile (12/km
2
). There were 3,264 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (5.8/km
2
). The racial makeup of the county was 99.24%
White
, 0.24%
Black
or
African American
, 0.08%
Native American
, 0.03%
Asian
, 0.03%
Pacific Islander
, 0.06% from
other races
, and 0.33% from two or more races. 0.51% of the population were
Hispanic
or
Latino
of any race.
There were 2,816 households, out of which 33.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.30% were
married couples
living together, 12.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.80% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.90% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 28.50% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $19,310, and the median income for a family was $23,333. Males had a median income of $23,859 versus $18,952 for females. The
per capita income
for the county was $10,321. About 29.90% of families and 35.90% of the population were below the
poverty line
, including 50.20% of those under age 18 and 26.70% of those age 65 or over.
Wolfe County is the poorest county in the United States, by median household income.
[12]
Politics
[
edit
]
Wolfe County, like most of
Eastern Kentucky
, is historically Democratic. In 2000,
George W. Bush
narrowly won the county and became the first Republican to do so, but the county still proved its Democratic loyalty by supporting John Kerry by a comfortable margin in the next election. However, the county has indeed drifted away from the Democrats at the presidential level as
Mitt Romney
won the county 60% to 30% in 2012, and
Donald Trump
with an even wider margin of 68% to 28%.
Wolfe remained reliably Democratic at the state level for some time after ceasing to favor the Democratic Party at the presidential level; it voted against
Matt Bevin
in both of his gubernatorial elections. Wolfe County has not voted for a Republican gubernatorial candidate since
1979
when it voted for Republican and former Governor
Louie Nunn
over Democrat
John Y. Brown Jr.
Along with nearby
Elliott County
, it was, until
2020
, one of only two counties in Kentucky to have voted against Senator
Mitch McConnell
in each of his elections. In 2020, however, both counties voted for McConnell over his Democratic challenger,
Amy McGrath
.
[13]
United States presidential election results for Wolfe County, Kentucky
[14]
Year
|
Republican
|
Democratic
|
Third party
|
No.
|
%
|
No.
|
%
|
No.
|
%
|
2020
|
2,097
|
70.39%
|
839
|
28.16%
|
43
|
1.44%
|
2016
|
1,804
|
68.46%
|
753
|
28.58%
|
78
|
2.96%
|
2012
|
1,542
|
60.26%
|
976
|
38.14%
|
41
|
1.60%
|
2008
|
1,408
|
47.44%
|
1,493
|
50.30%
|
67
|
2.26%
|
2004
|
1,385
|
43.90%
|
1,744
|
55.28%
|
26
|
0.82%
|
2000
|
1,267
|
52.25%
|
1,136
|
46.85%
|
22
|
0.91%
|
1996
|
772
|
33.61%
|
1,297
|
56.46%
|
228
|
9.93%
|
1992
|
697
|
25.97%
|
1,674
|
62.37%
|
313
|
11.66%
|
1988
|
916
|
36.94%
|
1,516
|
61.13%
|
48
|
1.94%
|
1984
|
1,257
|
46.68%
|
1,394
|
51.76%
|
42
|
1.56%
|
1980
|
951
|
33.90%
|
1,814
|
64.67%
|
40
|
1.43%
|
1976
|
659
|
26.81%
|
1,777
|
72.29%
|
22
|
0.90%
|
1972
|
936
|
48.83%
|
957
|
49.92%
|
24
|
1.25%
|
1968
|
758
|
34.35%
|
1,162
|
52.65%
|
287
|
13.00%
|
1964
|
562
|
21.64%
|
2,018
|
77.71%
|
17
|
0.65%
|
1960
|
1,259
|
44.76%
|
1,554
|
55.24%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1956
|
1,059
|
38.62%
|
1,683
|
61.38%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1952
|
876
|
35.98%
|
1,557
|
63.94%
|
2
|
0.08%
|
1948
|
813
|
29.73%
|
1,918
|
70.13%
|
4
|
0.15%
|
1944
|
889
|
37.98%
|
1,450
|
61.94%
|
2
|
0.09%
|
1940
|
1,032
|
31.88%
|
2,205
|
68.12%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1936
|
972
|
38.13%
|
1,577
|
61.87%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1932
|
909
|
28.13%
|
2,321
|
71.81%
|
2
|
0.06%
|
1928
|
1,270
|
48.36%
|
1,356
|
51.64%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1924
|
821
|
33.72%
|
1,597
|
65.59%
|
17
|
0.70%
|
1920
|
939
|
38.61%
|
1,476
|
60.69%
|
17
|
0.70%
|
1916
|
645
|
36.67%
|
1,108
|
62.99%
|
6
|
0.34%
|
1912
|
395
|
25.92%
|
873
|
57.28%
|
256
|
16.80%
|
Events
[
edit
]
The annual
Swift Silver Mine Festival
is held on Labor Day weekend each year. It includes a parade and vendors in the downtown
Campton
area.
Communities
[
edit
]
City
[
edit
]
Census-designated place
[
edit
]
Other unincorporated places
[
edit
]
Notable people
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Census - Geography Profile: Wolfe County, Kentucky"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
December 30,
2022
.
- ^
"Find a County"
. National Association of Counties
. Retrieved
June 7,
2011
.
- ^
The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 1
. Kentucky State Historical Society. 1903. pp.
37
.
- ^
"2010 Census Gazetteer Files"
. United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from
the original
on August 12, 2014
. Retrieved
August 20,
2014
.
- ^
"Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
March 14,
2024
.
- ^
"U.S. Decennial Census"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
August 20,
2014
.
- ^
"Historical Census Browser"
. University of Virginia Library
. Retrieved
August 20,
2014
.
- ^
"Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
August 20,
2014
.
- ^
"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 20,
2014
.
- ^
"State & County QuickFacts"
. United States Census Bureau. Archived from
the original
on September 5, 2015
. Retrieved
March 6,
2014
.
- ^
"U.S. Census website"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
January 31,
2008
.
- ^
"Explore Census Data"
.
- ^
"2020 Kentucky Senate Results"
.
Politico
. Retrieved
November 7,
2020
.
- ^
Leip, David.
"Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections"
.
uselectionatlas.org
. Retrieved
July 6,
2018
.
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Counties
| |
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Cities and towns
Over 10k
| |
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Cities and towns
5k-10k
| |
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Cities and towns
1k-5k
| |
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Cities and towns
under 1k
| |
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Statistical areas
| |
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See also
| |
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37°44′N
83°29′W
/
37.74°N 83.49°W
/
37.74; -83.49
|
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International
| |
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National
| |
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