Franklin County, Kentucky: Industrial Catholic Metro county. In 2024, voted R+5%. Democratic peak: D+63 in 1964.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+5MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 51,8422024 5-year
- Median household income
- $65,2982024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 81.2%2024 5-year
- Black
- 9.2%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 4.4%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+63 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+17 in 1984MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Washington County, GA · similarity 0.93
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Franklin CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Franklin County, with each precinct boundary colored by Democratic-vs-Republican margin.
—
Margin—
Turnout—
Harris +50Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1876 | No data |
| 1880 | No data |
| 1884 | No data |
| 1888 | No data |
| 1892 | +26.1% |
| 1896 | +6.1% |
| 1900 | +22.4% |
| 1904 | +33.6% |
| 1908 | +32.6% |
| 1912 | +50.1% |
| 1916 | +40.0% |
| 1920 | +36.8% |
| 1924 | +24.3% |
| 1928 | +5.0% |
| 1932 | +51.1% |
| 1936 | +51.0% |
| 1940 | +56.5% |
| 1944 | +51.0% |
| 1948 | +53.5% |
| 1952 | +40.5% |
| 1956 | +22.4% |
| 1960 | +19.6% |
| 1964 | +62.5% |
| 1968 | +17.8% |
| 1972 | −15.9% |
| 1976 | +30.0% |
| 1980 | +25.6% |
| 1984 | −17.2% |
| 1988 | −2.8% |
| 1992 | +11.0% |
| 1996 | +20.2% |
| 2000 | +3.0% |
| 2004 | −2.7% |
| 2008 | −0.6% |
| 2012 | +0.8% |
| 2016 | −4.6% |
| 2020 | −1.0% |
| 2024 | −4.9% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 11,996 | 13,246 | 25,763 | ||
| R | 12,652 | 12,900 | 26,072 | ||
| R | 10,717 | 11,819 | 23,865 | ||
| D | 11,535 | 11,345 | 23,337 | ||
| R | 11,767 | 11,911 | 24,079 | ||
| R | 11,620 | 12,281 | 24,133 | ||
| D | 10,853 | 10,209 | 21,654 | ||
| D | 11,251 | 7,132 | 20,367 | ||
| D | 9,896 | 7,591 | 21,031 | ||
| R | 9,271 | 9,805 | 19,271 | ||
| R | 7,790 | 11,057 | 19,024 | ||
| D | 11,193 | 6,455 | 18,530 | ||
| D | 10,475 | 5,536 | 16,441 | ||
| R | 5,601 | 7,781 | 13,679 | ||
| D | 6,396 | 4,057 | 13,165 | ||
| D | 10,130 | 2,320 | 12,494 | ||
| D | 7,052 | 4,742 | 11,794 | ||
| D | 6,412 | 4,047 | 10,553 | ||
| D | 7,309 | 3,097 | 10,411 | ||
| D | 6,679 | 1,962 | 8,822 | ||
| D | 6,356 | 2,050 | 8,448 | ||
| D | 6,956 | 1,927 | 8,897 | ||
| D | 6,222 | 2,010 | 8,258 | ||
| D | 6,331 | 2,034 | 8,404 | ||
| D | 3,853 | 3,485 | 7,345 | ||
| D | 4,678 | 2,826 | 7,606 | ||
| D | 5,878 | 2,710 | 8,609 | ||
| D | 3,345 | 1,426 | 4,801 | ||
| D | 2,980 | 783 | 4,387 | ||
| D | 3,233 | 1,632 | 4,910 | ||
| D | 2,941 | 1,449 | 4,439 | ||
| D | 2,946 | 1,863 | 4,845 | ||
| D | 2,465 | 2,175 | 4,752 | ||
| D | 2,186 | 1,231 | 3,665 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — |
Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
16.5%
American
14.8%
Irish
13.2%
German
12.3%
Scottish
2.8%
Italian
1.8%
Polish
1.1%
African American
7.4%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 40.8 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$65,298
Franklin County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Franklin County$65,298
Kentucky$63,726
United States$80,734
Franklin County ranks near the middle of US counties by median household income.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
13.6%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1819.6%
Working age (18–64)12.3%
Seniors (65+)9.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
93.8%
speak English only
Spanish3.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.9%
Other Indo-European0.8%
Other languages0.5%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 54.8% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Franklin County seats Kentucky's government in Frankfort, and its mix of state employees, a historically Black university, and surrounding rural precincts has kept presidential margins tighter here than in most of the Bluegrass region.
Its margins are typically close. The Democratic margin reached sixty-three points in 1964; the Republican margin reached seventeen points in 1984. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved four points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was five points.
Its demographics sit near national norms: a 81% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $65,298, and a 14% poverty rate. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Washington County and Bienville Parish.
Most similar counties
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Franklin County, Kentucky. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/21073/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More industrial catholic metro counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Franklin County, Kentucky vote in 2024?
In 2024, Franklin County, Kentucky voted Republican by 4.9 points (R+5), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 25,763 votes cast, 11,996 went Democratic and 13,246 went Republican.
What is Franklin County, Kentucky's political typology?
Akashic places Franklin County, Kentucky in the "Industrial Catholic Metro" typology — Mid-size industrial metros with Catholic ethnic roots — among the most competitive, swing-prone ground in the country. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the county has voted Democratic 26 times, Republican 8 times, and other 0 times.
When did Franklin County, Kentucky last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Franklin County, Kentucky voted Democratic was 2012.
How many people live in Franklin County, Kentucky?
Franklin County, Kentucky has a population of 51,842 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Franklin County, Kentucky?
Median household income in Franklin County, Kentucky is $65,298 — below the national median of $80,734. The Kentucky state median is $63,726.
What is the political history of Franklin County, Kentucky?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Franklin County, Kentucky from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 26 went Democratic and 8 went Republican. The county's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.