Hardin County, Kentucky: Industrial Catholic Metro county. In 2024, voted R+29%. Democratic peak: D+44 in 1912.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+29MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 111,9422024 5-year
- Median household income
- $67,6472024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 75.9%2024 5-year
- Black
- 11.2%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 6.5%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+44 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+38 in 1984MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Isle of Wight County, VA · similarity 1.00
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Hardin CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Hardin 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 | +23.7% |
| 1896 | +19.8% |
| 1900 | +19.3% |
| 1904 | +23.0% |
| 1908 | +22.0% |
| 1912 | +43.8% |
| 1916 | +26.7% |
| 1920 | +23.3% |
| 1924 | +21.7% |
| 1928 | −18.0% |
| 1932 | +36.4% |
| 1936 | +32.2% |
| 1940 | +33.4% |
| 1944 | +22.0% |
| 1948 | +26.3% |
| 1952 | +8.0% |
| 1956 | −7.7% |
| 1960 | −9.3% |
| 1964 | +33.0% |
| 1968 | −6.7% |
| 1972 | −35.3% |
| 1976 | +6.7% |
| 1980 | −7.7% |
| 1984 | −38.3% |
| 1988 | −29.0% |
| 1992 | −11.1% |
| 1996 | −6.1% |
| 2000 | −25.6% |
| 2004 | −36.0% |
| 2008 | −20.6% |
| 2012 | −20.8% |
| 2016 | −30.2% |
| 2020 | −24.0% |
| 2024 | −29.3% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 16,572 | 30,672 | 48,082 | ||
| R | 18,101 | 29,832 | 48,941 | ||
| R | 13,944 | 26,971 | 43,156 | ||
| R | 15,214 | 23,357 | 39,218 | ||
| R | 15,650 | 23,896 | 39,990 | ||
| R | 11,507 | 24,627 | 36,441 | ||
| R | 11,095 | 18,964 | 30,690 | ||
| R | 11,031 | 12,642 | 26,617 | ||
| R | 9,417 | 12,299 | 25,958 | ||
| R | 7,262 | 13,240 | 20,599 | ||
| R | 6,329 | 14,293 | 20,771 | ||
| R | 8,339 | 9,779 | 18,738 | ||
| D | 7,977 | 6,965 | 15,185 | ||
| R | 4,060 | 8,740 | 13,256 | ||
| R | 4,470 | 5,329 | 12,737 | ||
| D | 7,460 | 3,744 | 11,264 | ||
| R | 5,141 | 6,191 | 11,332 | ||
| R | 4,325 | 5,050 | 9,430 | ||
| D | 4,599 | 3,914 | 8,558 | ||
| D | 3,990 | 2,297 | 6,447 | ||
| D | 4,436 | 2,831 | 7,294 | ||
| D | 4,718 | 2,351 | 7,090 | ||
| D | 4,480 | 2,284 | 6,814 | ||
| D | 6,047 | 2,801 | 8,920 | ||
| R | 3,210 | 4,624 | 7,848 | ||
| D | 4,296 | 2,735 | 7,198 | ||
| D | 5,382 | 3,334 | 8,782 | ||
| D | 3,272 | 1,887 | 5,187 | ||
| D | 2,656 | 632 | 4,618 | ||
| D | 3,010 | 1,913 | 4,990 | ||
| D | 2,714 | 1,671 | 4,537 | ||
| D | 3,059 | 2,053 | 5,207 | ||
| D | 2,848 | 1,885 | 4,873 | ||
| D | 1,909 | 1,075 | 3,515 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — |
Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
13.5%
German
12.9%
Irish
10.6%
American
8.7%
Italian
2.9%
Scottish
2.1%
Polish
1.3%
African American
9.0%
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: 37.3 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
$67,647
Hardin County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Hardin County$67,647
Kentucky$63,726
United States$80,734
Hardin 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
13.1%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1814.8%
Working age (18–64)12.2%
Seniors (65+)15.8%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
93.2%
speak English only
Spanish3.3%
Other Indo-European1.9%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.4%
Other languages0.1%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 56.1% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Home to Fort Knox and one of Kentucky's larger non-metro populations, Hardin County combines a substantial military-connected workforce with rural surrounding communities, producing consistent double-digit Republican margins in recent federal elections.
Its margins are typically close. The Democratic margin reached forty-four points in 1912; the Republican margin reached thirty-eight points in 1984. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved five points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was twenty-nine points.
Its demographics sit near national norms: a 76% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $67,647, and a 13% poverty rate. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Isle of Wight County and Comanche County.
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.
Hardin County, Kentucky. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/21093/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More industrial catholic metro counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Hardin County, Kentucky vote in 2024?
In 2024, Hardin County, Kentucky voted Republican by 29.3 points (R+29), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 48,082 votes cast, 16,572 went Democratic and 30,672 went Republican.
What is Hardin County, Kentucky's political typology?
Akashic places Hardin 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 17 times, Republican 17 times, and other 0 times.
When did Hardin County, Kentucky last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Hardin County, Kentucky voted Democratic was 1976.
How many people live in Hardin County, Kentucky?
Hardin County, Kentucky has a population of 111,942 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Hardin County, Kentucky?
Median household income in Hardin County, Kentucky is $67,647 — below the national median of $80,734. The Kentucky state median is $63,726.
What is the political history of Hardin County, Kentucky?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Hardin County, Kentucky from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 17 went Democratic and 17 went Republican. The county's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.