# Boyle County, Kentucky

Boyle County is a county located in the central part of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,614. Its county seat is Danville. The county was formed in 1842 and named for John Boyle (1774–1835), a U.S. Representative, chief justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals, and later federal judge for the District of Kentucky, and is part of the Danville, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area.

## History

In 1820, a portion of Casey County, now south of KY Route 300, was annexed to Mercer County. This became part of Boyle County when Boyle County was formed on February 15, 1842, from sections of Lincoln County and Mercer County. It is named for John Boyle, Congressman, Chief Justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals, and U.S. District Judge.
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States John Marshall Harlan, a supporter of civil rights and the sole dissenter in the Civil Rights Cases and Plessy v. Ferguson, was born in Boyle County in 1833.
A courthouse fire in 1860 resulted in the loss of some county records.
During the American Civil War, the Battle of Perryville took place here on October 8, 1862, fought between the Confederate Army of Mississippi and the Union Army of the Ohio. 7407 men fell in the battle.

## Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 183 square miles (470 km$^2$), of which 180 square miles (470 km$^2$) is land and 2.5 square miles (6.5 km$^2$) (1.4%) is water.

### Adjacent counties

* Mercer County (north)
* Garrard County (east)
* Lincoln County (southeast)
* Casey County (south)
* Marion County (southwest)
* Washington County (northwest)

### Major highways

* U.S. Route 68
* U.S. Route 127
* U.S. Route 150
* Kentucky Route 33
* Kentucky Route 34
* Kentucky Route 37
* Kentucky Route 52
* Kentucky Route 300

## Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 27,697 people, 10,574 households, and 7,348 families residing in the county. The population density was 152 per square mile (59/km$^2$). There were 11,418 housing units at an average density of 63 per square mile (24/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the county was 87.77% White, 9.68% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.65% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population.
There were 10,574 households, of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.70% were married couples living together, 12.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 27.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.87.
By age, 22.70% of the population was under 18, 11.00% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% were 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was US $35,241, and the median income for a family was $42,699. Males had a median income of $33,411 versus $23,635 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,288. About 9.10% of families and 11.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.80% of those under age 18 and 12.10% of those age 65 or over.

## Politics

United States presidential election results for Boyle County, Kentucky :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 9,159 | 63.72% | 4,990 | 34.72% | 224 | 1.56% |
| 2020 | 8,872 | 61.28% | 5,298 | 36.59% | 308 | 2.13% |
| 2016 | 8,040 | 62.10% | 4,281 | 33.07% | 625 | 4.83% |
| 2012 | 7,703 | 62.26% | 4,471 | 36.14% | 199 | 1.61% |
| 2008 | 7,701 | 60.95% | 4,769 | 37.74% | 165 | 1.31% |
| 2004 | 7,764 | 62.16% | 4,646 | 37.20% | 80 | 0.64% |
| 2000 | 6,126 | 59.33% | 3,963 | 38.38% | 237 | 2.30% |
| 1996 | 4,157 | 47.34% | 3,877 | 44.15% | 748 | 8.52% |
| 1992 | 4,019 | 43.32% | 3,894 | 41.97% | 1,365 | 14.71% |
| 1988 | 4,746 | 56.81% | 3,575 | 42.79% | 33 | 0.40% |
| 1984 | 5,675 | 62.53% | 3,378 | 37.22% | 23 | 0.25% |
| 1980 | 3,848 | 44.88% | 4,429 | 51.66% | 297 | 3.46% |
| 1976 | 3,511 | 45.58% | 4,095 | 53.16% | 97 | 1.26% |
| 1972 | 4,317 | 63.66% | 2,395 | 35.32% | 69 | 1.02% |
| 1968 | 2,715 | 40.29% | 2,663 | 39.52% | 1,360 | 20.18% |
| 1964 | 1,972 | 28.33% | 4,976 | 71.47% | 14 | 0.20% |
| 1960 | 3,624 | 52.28% | 3,308 | 47.72% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 3,427 | 49.81% | 3,436 | 49.94% | 17 | 0.25% |
| 1952 | 2,969 | 43.90% | 3,771 | 55.76% | 23 | 0.34% |
| 1948 | 1,897 | 34.89% | 3,338 | 61.39% | 202 | 3.72% |
| 1944 | 2,195 | 38.38% | 3,490 | 61.02% | 34 | 0.59% |
| 1940 | 2,257 | 35.55% | 4,081 | 64.28% | 11 | 0.17% |
| 1936 | 2,431 | 36.80% | 4,148 | 62.79% | 27 | 0.41% |
| 1932 | 2,208 | 32.90% | 4,473 | 66.65% | 30 | 0.45% |
| 1928 | 3,517 | 54.01% | 2,992 | 45.95% | 3 | 0.05% |
| 1924 | 2,673 | 43.00% | 3,197 | 51.42% | 347 | 5.58% |
| 1920 | 3,205 | 43.65% | 4,099 | 55.83% | 38 | 0.52% |
| 1916 | 1,494 | 41.83% | 2,052 | 57.45% | 26 | 0.73% |
| 1912 | 701 | 21.59% | 1,798 | 55.37% | 748 | 23.04% |
The county voted "No" on 2022 Kentucky Amendment 2, an anti-abortion ballot measure, by 53% to 47% despite backing Donald Trump with 61% of the vote to Joe Biden's 37% in the 2020 presidential election. Since the start of the 21st Century, the county has voted on par with the state of Kentucky as a whole.

### Elected officials

Elected officials as of January 3, 2025 :
| U.S. House | James Comer (R) | KY 1 |
| Ky. Senate | Amanda Mays Bledsoe (R) | 12 |
| Ky. House | Daniel Elliott (R) | 54 |

### Local government

| County Judge/Executive Trille Bottom County Magistrates Tom V. Ellis Paula Bodner Barry Harmon Jason M. Cullen Jamey Gay Steve Sleeper | County Attorney Christopher K. Heron County Treasurer Shannon Greene County Coroner Eric Guerrant Sheriff Taylor Bottom County Clerk Casey McCoy Property Valuation Administrator Lacresha Gibson | District Court Judge Patrick Barsoti Circuit Court Judge Jeff L. Dotson Family Court Judge Bruce Petrie Circuit Clerk Courtney Shewmaker Jailer Brian Wofford |

## Education
### Public schools

There are two school districts in the county.
Boyle County Schools is the school district that serves all of Boyle County except Danville with three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. Danville Schools is the school district that serves the city of Danville with three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school.
Kentucky School for the Deaf, a state-operated school, provides education to Kentucky's deaf and hard-of-hearing children from elementary through high school

### Private schools

Two private schools operate in Boyle County: Danville Christian Academy and Danville Montessori School.

### Colleges and universities

Centre College, a nationally recognized liberal arts college, is located in Danville. Six other colleges and universities have (or had) campuses in Boyle County:
* American National University, Danville campus closed
* Bluegrass Community and Technical College
* Eastern Kentucky University, Danville campus closed in May 2018
* Midway University, Danville campus closed
* Kentucky College for Women, merged with Centre College in 1930.
* Transylvania University, moved to Lexington Kentucky in 1789.

## Communities
### Cities

* Danville (county seat)
* Junction City (a small portion extends into Lincoln County)
* Perryville

### Unincorporated places

* Aliceton
* Alum Springs
* Atoka
* Brumfield
* Clifton
* Forkland
* Little Needmore
* Mitchellsburg
* Needmore
* Parksville
* Wilsonville