Breathitt County, Kentucky


Breathitt County is a county located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,718. Its county seat is Jackson. The county was formed in 1839 and was named for John Breathitt, who was Governor of Kentucky from 1832 to 1834. Breathitt County was formerly a dry county, until a public vote in July 2016 passed, allowing alcohol sales.

History

The area now encompassed by Kentucky's Breathitt County was first bounded in 1772, when all of what is now the state of Kentucky was in the frontier county of Fincastle County, Virginia. Fincastle was divided in 1776, with the western portion named Kentucky County, Virginia. In 1780, Virginia set aside all land in Kentucky County for soldiers who had served in the Revolutionary War. In 1780, Kentucky County was divided into 3 counties, Jefferson, Fayette, and Lincoln. Lincoln County was divided in 1799, with part becoming Knox County. In 1807, the Legislature partitioned the upper part of Knox to create Clay County. On February 6, 1839, a portion of Clay was partitioned off to create Breathitt County. It was named for Governor John Breathitt. The first people to actually settle on the land that became Breathitt County were Joseph Back, his wife Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard, and their four children: Joseph Back Jr. ; John Back ; Mary Back ; and Henry Back.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
The North and Middle Forks of the Kentucky River pass through the county as the main water drainages.

Adjacent counties

Race % 2010% 2000Pop 2010Pop 2000
White alone 95%97.8%98.1%13,03813,57515,797
Black alone 0.4%0.3%0.4%574362
American Indian alone 0.1%0.1%0.1%111214
Asian alone 0.3%0.5%0.3%376747
Pacific Islander alone 0.1%0.1%0%11124
Other race alone 0%0.1%0%092
Multiracial 3.4%0.5%0.4%4717168
Hispanic/Latino 0.7%0.6%0.7%9389106

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 13,718. The median age was 42.7 years. 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.7 males age 18 and over.
The most reported ancestries in 2020 were English, Irish, German, and Scottish.
The racial makeup of the county was 95.4% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.1% from some other race, and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 0.7% of the population.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 5,716 households in the county, of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 30.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 6,551 housing units, of which 12.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.8% were owner-occupied and 25.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.7%.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 16,100 people, 6,170 households, and 4,541 families in the county. The population density was. There were 6,812 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 98.69% White, 0.39% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 0.43% from two or more races. 0.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 6,170 households, out of which 34.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.00% were married couples living together, 14.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families. 23.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.00.
The county population contained 25.50% under the age of 18, 10.00% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 11.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $19,155, and the median income for a family was $23,721. Males had a median income of $26,208 versus $20,613 for females. The per capita income for the county was $11,044. About 28.10% of families and 33.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.90% of those under age 18 and 26.80% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

During the 20th century, Breathitt County was a Democratic stronghold typical of rural Appalachia, only voting Republican narrowly once. Starting in 1912, Breathitt County continuously voted for the Democratic presidential nominee, a streak that would last until the 2004 election. Since 2008, the county has voted for the Republican nominee each election by increasingly wide margins. Despite this, 79% of registered voters remain Democrats.
In gubernatorial elections, Breathitt County has only voted for the Republican nominee on three occasions: 1907, 1919, and 2015.

Elected officials

Economy

Coal companies

K-12 education

There are two school districts in the county: Jackson Independent School District and Breathitt County School District. The former includes a portion of Jackson and some unincorporated areas, while the latter has the remainder of the city and county. The Jackson school district operates Jackson City School a single K-12 facility. The county school district operates several schools, including:
  • Sebastian Elementary School – Jackson, Kentucky
  • Highland-Turner Elementary School – Canoe, Kentucky
  • Breahitt Elementary School
  • Breathitt County High School – Jackson, Kentucky
Private schools:
The Breathitt Area Technology Center serves both the Jackson Independent and the Breathitt County school districts. It is located on the campus of Breathitt County High School. The school is operated by the state of Kentucky. While most of the funding comes from the state, much of the equipment is purchased with federal Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act funds, which are aimed at advancing technical education.
The school is focused on technical education, offering these technical programs:
  • Automotive Technology
  • Construction Technology
  • Electrical Technology
  • Health Sciences
  • Office Technology

    UK Robinson Station

The community of Quicksand is the location for the University of Kentucky Robinson Station. This agriculture research facility is a pivotal asset in Breathitt County, furthering the scientific studies in the areas of agriculture and forestry.

Health care

  • Breathitt County Family Health Center, Jackson, Kentucky
Breathitt County health care providers were featured in a November 23, 2013, article in The Washington Post: "In Rural Kentucky, Health-Care Takes Back Seat as the Long-Uninsured Line Up". As of 2014 the county had the highest morbidity rate in the state of Kentucky.

Communities

City

  • Jackson

    Unincorporated communities

  • Altro
  • Bays
  • Caney
  • Canoe
  • Chenowee
  • Clayhole
  • Cockrell Fork
  • Crockettsville
  • Elkatawa
  • Evanston
  • Fishtrap
  • Flintville
  • Frozen/Frozen Creek
  • Fugates Fork
  • Haddix
  • Hardshell Caney
  • Hayes Branch
  • Leatherwood
  • Lost Creek
  • Morris Fork
  • Ned
  • Nix Branch
  • Noble
  • Noctor
  • Oakdale
  • Portsmouth
  • Quicksand
  • River Caney
  • Riverside
  • Rose Branch
  • Rousseau
  • Rowdy
  • Saldee
  • Sebastians Branch
  • Shoulder Blade/Shoulderblade
  • Smith Branch
  • South Fork
  • Stevenson
  • Troublesome Creek
  • Turners Creek
  • Vancleve
  • War Creek
  • Watts
  • Whick
  • Wilstacy
  • Wolf Coal

    Nature viewing

In the community of Southfork, there is a local elk viewing area where elk and feral horses can be seen.

Notable people