Kenton County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 169,064, making it the third most populous county in Kentucky (behind Jefferson County and Fayette County). Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

s are Covington and

Independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

. It was, until November 24, 2010, the only county in Kentucky to have two legally recognized county seats. The county was formed in 1840 and is named for Simon Kenton, a frontiersman notable in the early history of the state. Kenton County, with Boone and Campbell Counties, is part of the Northern Kentucky metro area, and is included in the Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Kenton County was established on January 29, 1840, from land given by Campbell County. It was named in honor of Simon Kenton, a pioneer of Kentucky.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.5%) is water. The county is located at the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

of the Licking River and

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

, in the outer Bluegrass area of the Bluegrass region of the state. The elevation in the county ranges from above sea level.

Adjacent counties

* Hamilton County, Ohio (north) * Campbell County (east) * Pendleton County (southeast) * Grant County (southwest) * Boone County (west)

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 151,464 people, 59,444 households, and 39,470 families living in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 63,571 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.99%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.84% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.41% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. 1.10% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. There were 59,444 households, out of which 33.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.10% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.60% were non-families. 27.80% 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 2.52 and the average family size was 3.11. The age distribution was 26.30% under 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 31.90% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who were 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $43,906, and the median income for a family was $52,953. Males had a median income of $37,845 versus $27,253 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $22,085. About 7.10% of families and 9.00% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 12.00% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools

Kenton County has five school districts providing education, from the extremely rural southern areas to the highly urbanized north. The districts are: * Kenton County School District * Covington Independent Public Schools * Beechwood Independent School District (serves Fort Mitchell) * Ludlow Independent Schools * Erlanger-Elsmere Schools

Private schools

The Catholic educational system is as extensive as the public system. These schools are operated by the Diocese of Covington's Department of Schools. The Diocese runs 17 schools in Kenton County.

Higher education

Thomas More University is the only institute of higher learning wholly in the county itself. Northern Kentucky University had a Covington campus located at 1401

Dixie Highway Dixie Highway was a United States auto trail first planned in 1914 to connect the Midwest with the South. It was part of a system and was expanded from an earlier Miami to Montreal highway. The final system is better understood as a network o ...

until it closed at the end of 2008. NKU's main campus is not far from Kenton County – only about 4 miles from the Licking River. The Kentucky Community and Technical College System also operates the Gateway Community and Technical College. Classes are provided at GCTC locations in Boone County, Covington, Park Hills and Edgewood.

Libraries

Kenton County is served by a county library with branches in Covington, Erlanger, and Independence. The Erlanger Branch has grown to be the busiest branch library in the state of Kentucky. In 2008, Kenton County Public Library received the highest score of any Kentucky library ranked by Hennen's American Public Library Ratings.

Communities

Cities

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...

* Covington (county seat) * Crescent Springs * Crestview Hills * Edgewood * Elsmere * Erlanger * Fairview * Fort Mitchell * Fort Wright *

(county seat) * Kenton Vale * Lakeside Park *

Ludlow Ludlow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the conf ...

* Park Hills * Ryland Heights * Taylor Mill * Villa Hills * Walton

Unincorporated communities

* Atwood * Latonia Lakes * Nicholson * Visalia Visalia and Latonia Lakes have been dissolved as cities within Kenton County.

Politics

The county is governed by a Judge/Executive and a Fiscal Court, which together oversee the county's operations and policies. The Judge/Executive serves as the chief executive and administrative officer, responsible for implementing policies, managing county services, and overseeing the budget. The Fiscal Court, composed of three county commissioners, functions as the legislative body, working alongside the Judge/Executive to pass ordinances, approve budgets, and make key decisions affecting the county. This structure ensures a balance of executive and legislative authority, guiding Kenton County's development and public services. The current Judge/Executive is Kris Knochelmann, while the three county commissioners are Beth Sewell (District 1), Jon Draud (District 2) and Joe Nienaber Jr. (District 3). The county voted "No" on 2022 Kentucky Amendment 2, an anti-abortion ballot measure, by 55% to 45%, and backed

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

with 59% of the vote to

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

's 39% in the 2020 presidential election.

Elected officials

References

External links

Kenton County government
{{authority control Kentucky counties Kentucky counties on the Ohio River 1840 establishments in Kentucky Populated places established in 1840