The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Kentucky For 2022


We used data and science to determine the places in Kentucky everyone wants to move to today.

Editor’s Note: Data has been updated for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the fastest growing cities in Kentucky.

Is being in an area that's growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?

Depends on who you ask. Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Louisville and Lexington, while others want peace and quiet like in Crestwood and Williamsburg, thank you very much.

But today we're going to put opinions aside and just look at the cold hard facts -- over the past five years, which cities in Kentucky have the grown the fastest.

After getting knee deep in the Census's American Community Survey, we emerged with this set of cities in the Bluegrass State that have people climbing over each other to get in.

These are the 10 fastest growing cities in Kentucky for 2022 according to the most recent census data:

What's the fastest growing city in Kentucky for 2022? Based on the most recent ACS data, Wilmore ranks as the fastest growing city in Kentucky. If you happen to be a resident of Wilmore, you're probably not too surprised to find it on our list.

If you're surprised--and you're wondering why these places are kind of a big deal--keep reading. We'll tell you what makes each of these 10 places in Kentucky are growing like weeds.

And if you already knew these places were happening, check out the best places to live in Kentucky or the Fastest Growing States In America.

For more Kentucky state reading:

The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Kentucky For 2022

1. Wilmore

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 6,339
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Population 2010: 3,740
Percent Growth 69.5%
Absolute Growth: 2,599
More on Wilmore: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Wilmore, KY

Source: Public domain

2. Mount Washington

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 14,699
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Population 2010: 9,049
Percent Growth 62.4%
Absolute Growth: 5,650
More on Mount Washington: Homes For Sale | Data

3. Vine Grove

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 6,234
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Population 2010: 4,310
Percent Growth 44.6%
Absolute Growth: 1,924
More on Vine Grove: Homes For Sale | Data

4. Shepherdsville

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 13,757
Rank Last Year: 18 (Up 14)
Population 2010: 10,813
Percent Growth 27.2%
Absolute Growth: 2,944
More on Shepherdsville: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Shepherdsville, KY

5. Bowling Green

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 71,628
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 2)
Population 2010: 56,407
Percent Growth 27.0%
Absolute Growth: 15,221
More on Bowling Green: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Bowling Green, KY

6. Georgetown

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 34,362
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 2)
Population 2010: 27,268
Percent Growth 26.0%
Absolute Growth: 7,094
More on Georgetown: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Georgetown, KY

7. Independence

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 28,119
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 22,975
Percent Growth 22.4%
Absolute Growth: 5,144
More on Independence: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Independence, KY

8. Campbellsville

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 11,370
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 3)
Population 2010: 9,376
Percent Growth 21.3%
Absolute Growth: 1,994
More on Campbellsville: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Campbellsville, KY

Source: Public domain

9. Shelbyville

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 16,244
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 13,403
Percent Growth 21.2%
Absolute Growth: 2,841
More on Shelbyville: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Shelbyville, KY

Source: Public domain

10. Union

Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 5,988
Rank Last Year: 9 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 5,018
Percent Growth 19.3%
Absolute Growth: 970
More on Union: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Union, KY

Source: Public domain

Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Bluegrass State for 2022

To figure out which cities are growing the most, we simply had to look at the growth rates for cities sine the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:

  • Current Population
  • Population in 2010
  • Growth rate from 2010 to Current (The latest available data which came out in Dec 2018)

We ranked all 78 Kentucky cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.

The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest growing city in the Bluegrass State.

And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula:

[Current Population - Population 2010] / [Population 2010]

Here's a graph of the cities in Kentucky with the largest percent increase in population:
Fastest Growing Cities in Kentucky Graph For 2022

Click to enlarge

Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In Kentucky, You Know?

So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in Kentucky are led by Wilmore which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.

It'll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We'll be here to let you know!

These places have been growing (or shrinking) the slowest (fastest):

  1. Middlesborough
  2. Ashland
  3. Madisonville

For more Kentucky reading, check out:

Detailed List Of Fastest Growing Places In Kentucky For 2022

Rank City Growth Population Population 2010
1 Wilmore 69.5% 6,339 3,740
2 Mount Washington 62.4% 14,699 9,049
3 Vine Grove 44.6% 6,234 4,310
4 Shepherdsville 27.2% 13,757 10,813
5 Bowling Green 27.0% 71,628 56,407
6 Georgetown 26.0% 34,362 27,268
7 Independence 22.4% 28,119 22,975
8 Campbellsville 21.3% 11,370 9,376
9 Shelbyville 21.2% 16,244 13,403
10 Union 19.3% 5,988 5,018

How Is The Area In ?

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.