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Garrard County, KY

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
90
10% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$186,800
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+58.5%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$793
national $1,348
Homeownership
80%
national 65%
Unemployment
4.0%
national 3.6%
Household income
$62,572
national $78,538
Median age
42.9 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the statewide price level for Kentucky (state avg).

The cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. The median home is valued at $186,800 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 59% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $793 a month. Unemployment averaged 4.0% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $62,572. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Garrard County, KY saw a net gain of 30 tax-filing households and a net gain of 180 individuals. Against a population of about 17,829, that is a net inflow of about 10 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area gained $10.2M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 97 households, came from Jessamine County; the largest outflow, about 73 households, went to Madison County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net gain of 313 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
+$10.2M
nominal dollars
Net households
+30
tax returns
Net people
+180
exemptions

+10.1 net people per 1,000 residents (population 17,829)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$35M
Moved out$24.8M
Net +$10.2M (nominal)
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Garrard County within Kentucky

Garrard County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other Kentucky counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Where movers came from

  1. 1Jessamine County, KY97$4.8M
  2. 2Madison County, KY86$6.8M
  3. 3Fayette County, KY79$5.2M
  4. 4Lincoln County, KY60$2.8M
  5. 5Boyle County, KY56$2.7M
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Where movers went

  1. 1Madison County, KY73$2.8M
  2. 2Jessamine County, KY65$2.2M
  3. 3Fayette County, KY64$3.2M
  4. 4Boyle County, KY61$2.5M
  5. 5Lincoln County, KY57$2.2M
  6. 6Mercer County, KY25$1.1M
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Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Jessamine County, KY9765+32+$2.7M
Madison County, KY8673+13+$4M
Fayette County, KY7964+15+$2M
Lincoln County, KY6057+3+$615K
Boyle County, KY5661-5+$254K
Mercer County, KY25

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: +$72.7M (+2,226 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012+$1.5M+46
2013+$2.1M+169
2014+$1.2M+18
2015+$734K+160
2016+$1M+160
2017+$11.3M+270
2018+$2.5M+97
2019+$5.9M+18
2020+$3.9M+302
2021+$15.1M+493
2022+$17.1M+313
2023+$10.2M+180
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 180 more people moved into Garrard County, KY than left (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net gain of about $10.2M in income (nominal) — in a county of 17,858 people.

Population
17,858
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
+10.1
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about +101 people.
Net income per resident
+$571
nominal dollars
+$10.2M total across 17,858 residents.

The rate lets you compare Garrard County, KY with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+176
Deaths
-233
Net domestic migration
+298
Net international migration
+41
Total change
+281

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Garrard County, KY run about 10% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $111 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$46,154
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
34% below the U.S. average
Price level
89.9
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 10.1% lower than average
What that income buys
$51,345
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
27% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

This county isn't in a metro area that BEA prices separately, so cost of living shows the Kentucky (state avg) figure.

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents62.9
Goods94.5
Utilities80.9
Other services97.9

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Garrard County, KY

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
42.9
years
Median household income
$62,572
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
20% below the U.S. median
College degree
19%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
17.1%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
34 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
86%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 92%Hispanic 3%Black 2%Asian 0%Other 3%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$186,800
owner-occupied homes
38% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$793
gross rent per month
41% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
80%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+7.0%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+59%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
0new housing units authorized in 2023

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
4.0%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
7,903
7,586 employed
Disaster declarations
1
major federal, 2023
most common: Severe Storm

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
3.9%
April 2026 · ▼ 0.2 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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How Garrard County, KY has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
20241,7197,086112R +60.28,917
20201,8306,754119R +56.68,703
20161,4535,904266R +58.47,623
20121,6615,310106R +51.67,077
20082,0125,11880R +43.17,210
20041,8414,78433R +44.26,658
20001,7134,04367R +40.05,823

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

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