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'{{short description|County in Kentucky, United States}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}} {{Infobox U.S. county | county = Fayette County | state = Kentucky | type = [[Consolidated city-county]] | official_name = Lexington-Fayette Urban County | seal = LFUCG Seal.PNG | founded year = 1780 | founded date = | seat wl = Lexington | largest city wl = Lexington | area_total_sq_mi = 286 | area_land_sq_mi = 284 | area_water_sq_mi = 1.9 | area percentage = 0.7% | census yr = 2020 | pop = 322570 | pop_est_as_of = 2023 | population_est = 320154 {{decrease}} | density_sq_mi = auto | time zone = Eastern | footnotes = | web = www.lexingtonky.gov | named for = [[Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette]] | ex image = Robert F. Stephens Courthouse, Fayette County Kentucky.jpg | ex image cap = Robert F. Stephens Courthouse Complex in Lexington | district = 6th }} '''Fayette County''' is a [[County (United States)|county]] located in the central part of the [[U.S. state]] of [[Kentucky]] and is [[Consolidated city-county|consolidated]] with the city of [[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 322,570,<ref name=QF>{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/fayettecountykentucky/PST045221|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 28, 2022}}</ref> making it the second-most populous county in the [[Commonwealth (U.S. state)|commonwealth]]. Since 1974, its territory, population and [[Lexington, Kentucky|government]] have been shared with Lexington.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503072804/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|archive-date=May 3, 2015}}</ref> Fayette County is part of the [[Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area]]. ==History== [[File:Kentucky County, Virginia 1780.png|thumb|upright=1.05|Fayette County was formed in 1780, when the [[Virginia General Assembly]] [[Partition (politics)|partitioned]] [[Kentucky County, Virginia|Kentucky County]].]] Fayette County—originally [[Fayette County, Virginia]]—was established by the [[Virginia General Assembly]] in June 1780, when it abolished and subdivided [[Kentucky County, Virginia|Kentucky County]] into three counties: Fayette, [[Jefferson County, Kentucky|Jefferson]] and [[Lincoln County, Kentucky|Lincoln]]. Together, these counties and those set off from them later in that decade separated from Virginia in 1792 to become the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Originally, Fayette County included land which makes up 37 present-day counties and parts of 7 others. It was reduced to its present boundaries in 1799. The county is named for the [[Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette|Marquis de LaFayette]], who moved to the United States to support the colonies rebelling against British rule during the [[American Revolutionary War]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_luoxAQAAMAAJ|title=The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 1|publisher=Kentucky State Historical Society|year=1903|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_luoxAQAAMAAJ/page/n116 35]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ|title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States|publisher=Govt. Print. Off.|author=Gannett, Henry|year=1905|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n123 124]}}</ref> On January 1, 1974, Fayette County merged its government with that of its [[county seat]] of [[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]], creating a [[consolidated city-county]] governed by the [[Lexington, Kentucky#Government and politics|Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government]]. ==Geography== According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|286|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|284|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|1.9|sqmi}} (0.7%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_21.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812210847/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_21.txt|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 12, 2014|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 14, 2014|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref> ===Major highways=== {{div col}} * [[Interstate 75 (Kentucky)|Interstate 75]] * [[Interstate 64 (Kentucky)|Interstate 64]] * [[U.S. Route 25 (Kentucky)|U.S. Route 25]] * [[U.S. Route 27 (Kentucky)|U.S. Route 27]] * [[U.S. Route 60 in Kentucky|U.S. Route 60]] * [[U.S. Route 68 (Kentucky)|U.S. Route 68]] * [[U.S. Route 421 (Kentucky)|U.S. Route 421]] * [[Kentucky Route 4]], a.k.a. [[New Circle Road]] {{div col end}} ===Adjacent counties=== * [[Scott County, Kentucky|Scott County]] (north) * [[Bourbon County, Kentucky|Bourbon County]] (northeast) * [[Clark County, Kentucky|Clark County]] (east) * [[Madison County, Kentucky|Madison County]] (south) * [[Jessamine County, Kentucky|Jessamine County]] (south) * [[Woodford County, Kentucky|Woodford County]] (west) ==Demographics== {{US Census population | 1790 = 18410 | 1800 = 14028 | 1810 = 21370 | 1820 = 23250 | 1830 = 25098 | 1840 = 22194 | 1850 = 22735 | 1860 = 22599 | 1870 = 26656 | 1880 = 29023 | 1890 = 35698 | 1900 = 42071 | 1910 = 47715 | 1920 = 54664 | 1930 = 68543 | 1940 = 78899 | 1950 = 100746 | 1960 = 131906 | 1970 = 174323 | 1980 = 204165 | 1990 = 225366 | 2000 = 260512 | 2010 = 295803 | 2020 = 322570 | estyear = 2023 | estimate = 320154 | estref = <ref name="USCensusEst2022">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html#v2023|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023|publisher= United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 14, 2024}}</ref> | align-fn = center | footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 14, 2014}}</ref><br />1790-1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=August 14, 2014|archive-date=August 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120811110448/http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/|url-status=dead}}</ref> 1900-1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ky190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 14, 2014}}</ref><br />1990-2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327165705/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 14, 2014}}</ref> 2010-2020<ref name="QF"/> }} As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=August 17, 2018 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2010, there were 295,803 people, 123,043 households, and 69,661 families residing in the county. The population density was {{convert|1,034|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 135,160 housing units at an average density of {{convert|473|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the county was 75.7% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 14.5% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.3% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 3.2% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.1% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 3.7% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 2.5% from two or more races. 6.9% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race. There were 123,043 households, out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.3 and the average family size was 2.94. In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.2% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 21, and 62.4% from 21 to 65. 10.5% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.7 years. 50.8% of the population was female. The median income for a household in the county was $47,469, and the median income for a family was $66,690. Males had a median income of $44,343 versus $35,716 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $28,345. About 11.1% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 21.6% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over. ==Education== ===Public high schools=== Schools in the county are operated by [[Fayette County Public Schools (Kentucky)|Fayette County Public Schools]]. * [[Henry Clay High School]] * [[Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (Lexington, Kentucky)|Paul Laurence Dunbar High School]] * [[Frederick Douglass High School (Lexington, Kentucky)|Frederick Douglass High School]] * [[Bryan Station High School]] * [[Lafayette High School (Lexington, Kentucky)|Lafayette High School]] * [[Tates Creek High School]] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20171120013834/https://www.fcps.net/steam STEAM Academy] ===Private middle and elementary schools=== * [http://www.thelexingtonschool.org The Lexington School] * [[Sayre School]] * [[Lexington Christian Academy (Kentucky)|Lexington Christian Academy]] * [http://ctkschool.net Christ the King School] * [https://maryqueenschool.org/ Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary School] * [http://sppslex.org Saints Peter and Paul School] * [http://setonstars.com Seton Catholic School] * [http://www.bluegrassbaptist.com Blue Grass Baptist School] * [https://redwoodcoop.org/ Redwood Cooperative School] ===Private high schools=== * [[Lexington Catholic High School]] * [[Lexington Christian Academy (Kentucky)|Lexington Christian Academy]] * [[Sayre School]] * Trinity Christian Academy * [http://www.bluegrassbaptist.com Blue Grass Baptist School] ===Colleges and universities=== {{div col}} * [[Bluegrass Community and Technical College]] * [[Indiana Wesleyan University|Indiana Wesleyan University (Lexington campus)]] * [[ITT Technical Institute]] * [[Lexington Theological Seminary]] * [[Midway College|Midway College (Lexington campus)]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.midway.edu/node/84|access-date=May 13, 2011|title=Midway College - Lexington Campus|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928044031/http://www.midway.edu/node/84|archive-date=September 28, 2011}}</ref> * [[National College of Business & Technology]] * [[Spencerian College]] * [[Sullivan University]] * [[Transylvania University]] * [[University of Kentucky]] {{div col end}} ==Politics== <!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} --> {{PresHead|place=Fayette County, Kentucky|source=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=July 1, 2018}}</ref>}} {{PresRow|2024|Democratic|56,270|80,301|3,140|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|2020|Democratic|58,860|90,600|3,452|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|2016|Democratic|56,894|69,778|9,643|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|2012|Democratic|60,795|62,080|2,991|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|2008|Democratic|59,884|66,042|1,722|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|2004|Republican|66,406|57,994|1,176|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|2000|Republican|54,495|47,277|3,705|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1996|Democratic|42,930|43,632|6,102|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1992|Republican|41,908|38,306|15,320|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1988|Republican|48,065|32,554|906|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1984|Republican|51,993|28,961|792|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1980|Republican|35,349|30,511|5,957|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1976|Republican|35,170|28,012|1,807|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1972|Republican|42,362|19,828|1,476|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1968|Republican|24,948|16,902|8,523|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1964|Democratic|18,739|25,317|136|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1960|Republican|25,169|16,478|0|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1956|Republican|21,904|13,547|232|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1952|Republican|17,376|14,275|138|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1948|Democratic|10,959|13,202|1,988|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1944|Democratic|10,857|13,567|174|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1940|Democratic|12,514|15,834|84|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1936|Democratic|11,544|14,428|203|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1932|Democratic|11,847|15,765|257|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1928|Republican|16,988|9,065|39|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1924|Republican|11,755|10,433|331|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1920|Democratic|11,032|12,926|181|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1916|Democratic|5,472|6,348|89|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1912|Democratic|4,060|5,268|1,414|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1908|Democratic|4,748|5,247|158|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1904|Democratic|3,947|5,119|141|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1900|Republican|5,302|4,293|83|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1896|Republican|5,143|3,938|179|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1892|Democratic|2,431|3,753|352|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1888|Democratic|3,301|3,435|123|Kentucky}} {{PresRow|1884|Republican|3,000|2,593|47|Kentucky}} {{PresFoot|1880|Republican|2,830|2,449|41|Kentucky}} For much of the 20th century, Fayette County leaned more Republican than Kentucky as a whole. Between [[1952 United States presidential election|1952]] and [[2004 United States presidential election|2004]], it voted for the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee all but twice, for [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] in 1964 and [[Bill Clinton]] in 1996, with the latter only carrying the county by a narrow plurality. Even Southern Democrat [[Jimmy Carter]] lost the county by 11 points in 1976, despite winning Kentucky by a comfortable margin. Until the mid-2000s, it did not swing as heavily to the Democrats as other urban counties. From 1992 to 2016, it was a swing county with close results between the two parties. In [[2008 United States presidential election|2008]], [[Barack Obama]] became the first Democrat to win the county since [[Bill Clinton]] in 1996, and the first Democrat to win a majority of its votes since Johnson. In [[2016 United States presidential election|2016]], [[Hillary Clinton]] won the county by the largest margin since Johnson, although it was one of only two counties in the entire Commonwealth to vote for her, the other being [[Jefferson County, Kentucky|Jefferson County]], home to the city of [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]]. In 2020, [[Joe Biden]] turned in the strongest showing for a Democrat in the county in over a century, bettering even [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]. In that year, Fayette County was the most Democratic county in the Commonwealth, giving Biden a slightly larger margin than Jefferson County, marking the first time since [[1948 United States presidential election|1948]] that Fayette County voted to the left of Jefferson County in a presidential election. This marked the first time that Fayette County was the most Democratic county in the state in Kentucky history. With nearly 60% of the vote, Biden received the highest percentage of the vote in the county of any Democratic candidate in history. Also in 2020, [[Donald Trump]] received the lowest portion of the vote for any Republican candidate in the county since [[William Howard Taft]] in [[1912 United States presidential election|1912]]. ==Communities== ===City=== * [[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]] ===Unincorporated communities=== {{div col}} * Andover * [[Athens, Kentucky|Athens]] * Clays Ferry * Colby (partly in [[Clark County, Kentucky|Clark County]]) * Little Texas * South Elkhorn * Spears (partly in [[Jessamine County, Kentucky|Jessamine County]]) * Todds Station {{div col end}} ===Historically black hamlets=== * Bracktown * Cadentown * Jimtown * Smithtown * Little Georgetown * Pralltown ==See also== {{Portal|United States|Kentucky}} * [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Fayette County, Kentucky]] ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} ==External links== {{Commons category|Fayette County, Kentucky}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080828171408/http://www.ksdc.louisville.edu/ Kentucky State Data Center] * [http://www.lexareampo.org/ Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization] * [http://www.lexingtonky.gov/ Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government] * [http://www.lexingtonprosecutor.com/ Fayette County Prosecutor's Office] * [http://fayettesheriff.com/ Fayette County Sheriff's Office] {{Fayette County, Kentucky}} {{Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Area}} {{Kentucky}} {{Coord|38.04|-84.46|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-KY_source:UScensus1990}} {{authority control}} [[Category:Fayette County, Kentucky| ]] [[Category:Kentucky counties]] [[Category:Lexington–Fayette metropolitan area]] [[Category:1780 establishments in Virginia]] [[Category:Populated places established in 1780]] [[Category:Former counties of Virginia]] [[Category:Consolidated city-counties]]'