The 10 Kentucky Cities With The Largest Asian Population For 2023


We used data and science to determine the cities in Kentucky with the largest Asian population.

Across most of America, the African American and Hispanic communities comprise "most of the minority". We're not totally sure that's a term, but it's an accurate reflection of the state of race in America.

Asians are a "minority of the minority", generally. But not everywhere.

There are now over 17 million people who identify as Asian living in America, making up 5.6% of the total population. According to the most recent American Community Survey, the Asian population in Kentucky is 68,112 - at 1.5% of the total population of Kentucky.

And, unlike African Americans that fall under one group in the Census, Asian Americans have many sub-groups -- Chinese, Filipino, and Indian being the three largest sub-groups.

So, what how does the Asian population stratify across Kentucky? Which cities and towns in Kentucky have seen the greatest increase in their Asian population?

Here are the cities in Kentucky with the largest Asian population in 2023:

  1. Bowling Green
  2. Middletown
  3. Jeffersontown
  4. Lexington
  5. Highland Heights
  6. Radcliff
  7. Florence
  8. Murray
  9. St. Matthews
  10. Frankfort

Which city in Kentucky had the largest Asian population? Bowling Green took the number one over all spot for the largest Asian in Kentucky for 2023. 6.43% of Bowling Green identify as Asian.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.

To see where Kentucky ranked as a state on diversity, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in America.

And if you already knew these places were Asian, check out the best places to live in Kentucky or the most diverse places in Kentucky.

The 10 Most Asian Cities In Kentucky For 2023

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 71,422
% Asian: 6.43%
# Of Asian Residents: 4,592
Percent Change Since 2010: 102.56%
More on Bowling Green: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Bowling Green, KY

Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 9,473
% Asian: 5.58%
# Of Asian Residents: 529
Percent Change Since 2010: 245.75%
More on Middletown: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Middletown, KY

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 28,800
% Asian: 5.47%
# Of Asian Residents: 1,574
Percent Change Since 2010: 130.12%
More on Jeffersontown: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Jeffersontown, KY

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 321,354
% Asian: 3.98%
# Of Asian Residents: 12,786
Percent Change Since 2010: 35.99%
More on Lexington: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Lexington, KY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 6,896
% Asian: 3.78%
# Of Asian Residents: 261
Percent Change Since 2010: 29.85%
More on Highland Heights: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Highland Heights, KY

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 22,839
% Asian: 3.52%
# Of Asian Residents: 804
Percent Change Since 2010: 12.76%
More on Radcliff: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Radcliff, KY

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 31,699
% Asian: 3.38%
# Of Asian Residents: 1,073
Percent Change Since 2010: 56.64%
More on Florence: Real Estate | Data

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 17,241
% Asian: 3.13%
# Of Asian Residents: 540
Percent Change Since 2010: 10.2%
More on Murray: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Murray, KY

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 17,588
% Asian: 2.93%
# Of Asian Residents: 515
Percent Change Since 2010: -6.36%
More on St. Matthews: Real Estate | Data | Photos

St. Matthews, KY

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 28,479
% Asian: 2.7%
# Of Asian Residents: 769
Percent Change Since 2010: 118.47%
More on Frankfort: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Frankfort, KY

Source: Public domain

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Kentucky With The Largest Asian Population For 2023

We still believe in the accuracy of data -- especially from the census. So that's where we went to get the breakdown of race across Kentucky.

That lead us to the Census's most recently available data, the 2017-2021 American Community Survey data from the US Census.

Specifically, we looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:

  • Hispanic or Latino
  • White alone*
  • Black or African American alone*
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
  • Asian alone*
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
  • Some other race alone*
  • Two or more races*
* Not Hispanic or latino

Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as Asian alone.

We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 75 cities.

We then calculated the percent of residents that are Asian. The percentages ranked from 6.4% to 0.0%.

Finally, we ranked each city based on the percent of Asian population with a higher score being more Asian than a lower score. Bowling Green took the distinction of being the most Asian, while Leitchfield was the least Asian city. You can download the data here.

Read on for more information on how the cities in Kentucky ranked by population of Asian residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.

Summary: Asian Populations Across Kentucky

If you're looking for a breakdown of Asian populations across Kentucky according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.

If you're curious enough, here are the least Asian places in Kentucky:

  1. Leitchfield
  2. Middlesborough
  3. Paris

For more Kentucky reading, check out:

Table: Asian Population By City In Kentucky

Rank City % Asian Population
1 Bowling Green 6.43% 71,422
2 Middletown 5.58% 9,473
3 Jeffersontown 5.47% 28,800
4 Lexington 3.98% 321,354
5 Highland Heights 3.78% 6,896
6 Radcliff 3.52% 22,839
7 Florence 3.38% 31,699
8 Murray 3.13% 17,241
9 St. Matthews 2.93% 17,588
10 Frankfort 2.7% 28,479
11 Owensboro 2.69% 59,839
12 Louisville 2.69% 630,260
13 Pikeville 2.58% 7,376
14 Elizabethtown 2.47% 31,066
15 Union 2.46% 7,227
16 Erlanger 2.1% 19,506
17 Hopkinsville 1.95% 30,771
18 Shelbyville 1.91% 16,932
19 Fort Wright 1.88% 5,845
20 Elsmere 1.86% 9,080
21 Morehead 1.84% 6,994
22 Hillview 1.83% 8,638
23 Maysville 1.76% 8,851
24 Fort Thomas 1.66% 17,241
25 London 1.56% 7,492
26 Madisonville 1.48% 19,533
27 Alexandria 1.43% 10,125
28 Lyndon 1.4% 11,033
29 Paducah 1.38% 26,248
30 Richmond 1.32% 34,662
31 Harrodsburg 1.32% 8,952
32 Danville 1.25% 17,164
33 Shepherdsville 1.2% 13,918
34 Nicholasville 1.16% 31,066
35 Independence 1.13% 28,256
36 Russellville 1.12% 7,068
37 Williamsburg 1.1% 5,272
38 Campbellsville 1.09% 11,345
39 Georgetown 1.07% 36,281
40 Somerset 1.07% 11,696
41 Covington 1.06% 40,930
42 Glasgow 1.05% 14,922
43 Winchester 1.01% 18,993
44 Edgewood 0.97% 8,427
45 La Grange 0.96% 9,901
46 Franklin 0.87% 9,885
47 Mount Washington 0.78% 17,723
48 Lebanon 0.65% 6,165
49 Versailles 0.65% 10,196
50 Henderson 0.61% 28,201
51 Ashland 0.58% 21,695
52 Mayfield 0.56% 10,041
53 Fort Mitchell 0.51% 8,618
54 Bellevue 0.47% 5,578
55 Shively 0.42% 15,638
56 Berea 0.38% 15,465
57 Oak Grove 0.36% 7,699
58 Bardstown 0.36% 13,425
59 Villa Hills 0.33% 7,331
60 Taylor Mill 0.32% 6,834
61 Lawrenceburg 0.22% 11,675
62 Newport 0.22% 14,378
63 Flatwoods 0.21% 7,314
64 Mount Sterling 0.19% 7,517
65 Central City 0.08% 5,958
66 Monticello 0.0% 5,782
67 Douglass Hills 0.0% 5,480
68 Cold Spring 0.0% 6,208
69 Corbin 0.0% 8,397
70 Cynthiana 0.0% 6,291
71 Dayton 0.0% 5,641
72 Princeton 0.0% 6,206
73 Paris 0.0% 10,202
74 Middlesborough 0.0% 9,493
75 Leitchfield 0.0% 6,427

How Is The Area In ?

Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the cities in Kentucky with the largest Asian population.
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.