# Kenton County, Kentucky

Kenton County is a county 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 seats are Covington and Independence. 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 county has a total area of 164 square miles (420 km$^2$), of which 160 square miles (410 km$^2$) is land and 4.1 square miles (11 km$^2$) (2.5%) is water. The county is located at the confluence of the Licking River and Ohio River, in the outer Bluegrass area of the Bluegrass region of the state. The elevation in the county ranges from 455 to 960 feet (139 to 293 m) above sea level.

### Adjacent counties

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

### Major highways

* I-71
* I-75
* I-275
* US 25
* US 42
* US 127
* KY 8
* KY 14
* KY 16
* KY 17
* KY 177
* KY 236
* KY 371
* KY 536
* KY 1072
* KY 1303
* KY 1486
* KY 1829
* KY 2042
* KY 2043
* KY 2046

## Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 151,464 people, 59,444 households, and 39,470 families living in the county. The population density was 935 per square mile (361/km$^2$). There were 63,571 housing units at an average density of 392 per square mile (151/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the county was 93.99% White, 3.84% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 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 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 for the county was $22,085. About 7.10% of families and 9.00% of the population were below the poverty line, 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 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
* Covington (county seat)
* Crescent Springs
* Crestview Hills
* Edgewood
* Elsmere
* Erlanger
* Fairview
* Fort Mitchell
* Fort Wright
* Independence (county seat)
* Kenton Vale
* Lakeside Park
* Ludlow
* 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

United States presidential election results for Kenton County, Kentucky :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 48,444 | 59.63% | 30,859 | 37.98% | 1,938 | 2.39% |
| 2020 | 48,129 | 58.55% | 32,271 | 39.26% | 1,798 | 2.19% |
| 2016 | 42,958 | 59.67% | 24,214 | 33.63% | 4,826 | 6.70% |
| 2012 | 41,389 | 61.13% | 24,920 | 36.81% | 1,395 | 2.06% |
| 2008 | 40,714 | 59.69% | 26,480 | 38.82% | 1,019 | 1.49% |
| 2004 | 43,664 | 65.05% | 22,834 | 34.02% | 625 | 0.93% |
| 2000 | 35,363 | 62.87% | 19,100 | 33.96% | 1,786 | 3.18% |
| 1996 | 28,579 | 54.77% | 19,407 | 37.19% | 4,194 | 8.04% |
| 1992 | 27,261 | 51.31% | 16,344 | 30.76% | 9,530 | 17.94% |
| 1988 | 30,738 | 67.12% | 14,838 | 32.40% | 217 | 0.47% |
| 1984 | 34,304 | 69.66% | 14,642 | 29.73% | 299 | 0.61% |
| 1980 | 25,965 | 56.16% | 17,907 | 38.73% | 2,360 | 5.10% |
| 1976 | 22,087 | 52.99% | 18,833 | 45.18% | 760 | 1.82% |
| 1972 | 28,076 | 66.66% | 12,872 | 30.56% | 1,173 | 2.78% |
| 1968 | 17,263 | 43.64% | 14,656 | 37.05% | 7,638 | 19.31% |
| 1964 | 15,630 | 40.29% | 23,103 | 59.55% | 62 | 0.16% |
| 1960 | 21,857 | 52.89% | 19,466 | 47.11% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 20,895 | 57.93% | 14,923 | 41.37% | 252 | 0.70% |
| 1952 | 19,200 | 49.60% | 19,457 | 50.26% | 52 | 0.13% |
| 1948 | 10,771 | 35.07% | 18,918 | 61.60% | 1,022 | 3.33% |
| 1944 | 12,654 | 41.85% | 17,524 | 57.96% | 58 | 0.19% |
| 1940 | 13,147 | 40.47% | 19,261 | 59.30% | 74 | 0.23% |
| 1936 | 8,885 | 25.63% | 21,879 | 63.11% | 3,903 | 11.26% |
| 1932 | 11,202 | 32.69% | 22,311 | 65.12% | 750 | 2.19% |
| 1928 | 21,043 | 53.56% | 18,165 | 46.24% | 77 | 0.20% |
| 1924 | 13,537 | 44.33% | 7,948 | 26.03% | 9,054 | 29.65% |
| 1920 | 11,411 | 39.72% | 16,300 | 56.74% | 1,019 | 3.55% |
| 1916 | 5,267 | 32.55% | 10,402 | 64.28% | 514 | 3.18% |
| 1912 | 2,512 | 18.26% | 7,761 | 56.42% | 3,482 | 25.31% |
| 1908 | 6,431 | 40.76% | 8,683 | 55.04% | 663 | 4.20% |
| 1904 | 6,306 | 48.14% | 5,760 | 43.98% | 1,032 | 7.88% |
| 1900 | 5,650 | 42.58% | 7,263 | 54.74% | 355 | 2.68% |
| 1896 | 6,165 | 46.28% | 7,008 | 52.60% | 149 | 1.12% |
| 1892 | 3,494 | 36.61% | 5,686 | 59.57% | 365 | 3.82% |
| 1888 | 3,994 | 39.98% | 5,879 | 58.84% | 118 | 1.18% |
| 1884 | 3,459 | 42.92% | 4,489 | 55.70% | 111 | 1.38% |
| 1880 | 2,980 | 40.43% | 4,370 | 59.29% | 20 | 0.27% |
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 with 59% of the vote to Joe Biden's 39% in the 2020 presidential election.

### Elected officials

Elected officials as of January 3, 2025 :
| U.S. House | Thomas Massie (R) | KY 4 |
| Ky. Senate | Matt Nunn (R) | 17 |
| Ky. Senate | Gex Williams (R) | 20 |
| Ky. Senate | Christian McDaniel (R) | 23 |
| Ky. Senate | Shelley Funke Frommeyer (R) | 24 |
| Ky. House | Savannah Maddox (R) | 61 |
| Ky. House | Kim Banta (R) | 63 |
| Ky. House | Kimberly Poore Moser (R) | 64 |
| Ky. House | Stephanie Dietz (R) | 65 |
| Ky. House | Steven Doan (R) | 69 |
| Ky. House | Mark Hart (R) | 78 |