More than one-third of those churches and more than 50 percent of the county's population are Baptist. The alma mater of about 70 percent of the region's Baptist ministers, the college offers bachelor's degrees in fields other than religion as well. Back to Top Mayfield's population tops 10,000, about one-third of the county population. It's estimated 40 percent of Graves County residents are of Scots-Irish ancestry and that another 20 percent are descended from other parts of the British Isles. The area has experienced a huge influx of Hispanic agricultural workers during the 1990s.
Agriculture remains a major factor in the local economy.
Only 2 percent of the population farms full-time. Graves County ranks third among the state's counties in agricultural receipts, leading the way are burley tobacco and poultry production. Row crops also are common. Tobacco is the top cash crop, used mainly in snuffs. Back to Top Seaboard Farms of Kentucky opened a chicken-processing plant just north of Mayfield in 1991.