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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:
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
/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
/10
Population: 9,473
% Asian: 5.58%
# Of Asian Residents: 529
Percent Change Since 2010: 245.75%
More on Middletown: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/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
/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
/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
/10
Population: 22,839
% Asian: 3.52%
# Of Asian Residents: 804
Percent Change Since 2010: 12.76%
More on Radcliff: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 31,699
% Asian: 3.38%
# Of Asian Residents: 1,073
Percent Change Since 2010: 56.64%
More on Florence: Real Estate | Data
/10
Population: 17,241
% Asian: 3.13%
# Of Asian Residents: 540
Percent Change Since 2010: 10.2%
More on Murray: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/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
/10
Population: 28,479
% Asian: 2.7%
# Of Asian Residents: 769
Percent Change Since 2010: 118.47%
More on Frankfort: Real Estate | Data | Photos
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*
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:
- Leitchfield
- Middlesborough
- Paris
For more Kentucky reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Kentucky
- Richest Cities In Kentucky
- Best Places To Retire In Kentucky
Table: Asian Population By City In Kentucky
| Rank | City | % Asian |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bowling Green | 6.43% |
| 2 | Middletown | 5.58% |
| 3 | Jeffersontown | 5.47% |
| 4 | Lexington | 3.98% |
| 5 | Highland Heights | 3.78% |
| 6 | Radcliff | 3.52% |
| 7 | Florence | 3.38% |
| 8 | Murray | 3.13% |
| 9 | St. Matthews | 2.93% |
| 10 | Frankfort | 2.7% |
| 11 | Owensboro | 2.69% |
| 12 | Louisville | 2.69% |
| 13 | Pikeville | 2.58% |
| 14 | Elizabethtown | 2.47% |
| 15 | Union | 2.46% |
| 16 | Erlanger | 2.1% |
| 17 | Hopkinsville | 1.95% |
| 18 | Shelbyville | 1.91% |
| 19 | Fort Wright | 1.88% |
| 20 | Elsmere | 1.86% |
| 21 | Morehead | 1.84% |
| 22 | Hillview | 1.83% |
| 23 | Maysville | 1.76% |
| 24 | Fort Thomas | 1.66% |
| 25 | London | 1.56% |
| 26 | Madisonville | 1.48% |
| 27 | Alexandria | 1.43% |
| 28 | Lyndon | 1.4% |
| 29 | Paducah | 1.38% |
| 30 | Richmond | 1.32% |
| 31 | Harrodsburg | 1.32% |
| 32 | Danville | 1.25% |
| 33 | Shepherdsville | 1.2% |
| 34 | Nicholasville | 1.16% |
| 35 | Independence | 1.13% |
| 36 | Russellville | 1.12% |
| 37 | Williamsburg | 1.1% |
| 38 | Campbellsville | 1.09% |
| 39 | Georgetown | 1.07% |
| 40 | Somerset | 1.07% |
| 41 | Covington | 1.06% |
| 42 | Glasgow | 1.05% |
| 43 | Winchester | 1.01% |
| 44 | Edgewood | 0.97% |
| 45 | La Grange | 0.96% |
| 46 | Franklin | 0.87% |
| 47 | Mount Washington | 0.78% |
| 48 | Lebanon | 0.65% |
| 49 | Versailles | 0.65% |
| 50 | Henderson | 0.61% |
| 51 | Ashland | 0.58% |
| 52 | Mayfield | 0.56% |
| 53 | Fort Mitchell | 0.51% |
| 54 | Bellevue | 0.47% |
| 55 | Shively | 0.42% |
| 56 | Berea | 0.38% |
| 57 | Oak Grove | 0.36% |
| 58 | Bardstown | 0.36% |
| 59 | Villa Hills | 0.33% |
| 60 | Taylor Mill | 0.32% |
| 61 | Lawrenceburg | 0.22% |
| 62 | Newport | 0.22% |
| 63 | Flatwoods | 0.21% |
| 64 | Mount Sterling | 0.19% |
| 65 | Central City | 0.08% |
| 66 | Monticello | 0.0% |
| 67 | Douglass Hills | 0.0% |
| 68 | Cold Spring | 0.0% |
| 69 | Corbin | 0.0% |
| 70 | Cynthiana | 0.0% |
| 71 | Dayton | 0.0% |
| 72 | Princeton | 0.0% |
| 73 | Paris | 0.0% |
| 74 | Middlesborough | 0.0% |
| 75 | Leitchfield | 0.0% |
