Rockcastle County, Kentucky

Rockcastle County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,056. Its county seat is Mt. Vernon. The county founded in 1810 and named for the Rockcastle River which runs through it. The river, in turn, is named for its majestic rock cliffs.

Rockcastle County is part of the Richmond–Berea, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Lexington-Fayette-Richmond-Frankfort, KY Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 318 square miles (820 km²), of which 317 square miles (820 km²) is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²) (0.5%) is water.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 16,582 people, 6,544 households, and 4,764 families residing in the county. The population density was 52 per square mile (20/km²). There were 7,353 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile (8.9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.81% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.04% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 0.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.