U.S. state profile · KY
Kentucky: area, population and density
Kentucky has 39,486 sq mi of land and a 2025 population estimate of 4,606,864; calculated population density is 45 people/km².
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer Files · 2026 · U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program · 2025.
Kentucky ranks 36th of 51 by land area, 26th by population and 25th by calculated population density among the U.S. states and DC. Density uses the displayed population divided by land area converted to square kilometres.
- Land area
- 39,486 sq miU.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer Files · 2026
- Population
- 4,606,864U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program · 2025
- Calculated density
- 45 people/km²Population ÷ land area in km²
Reading the figures
Kentucky in the U.S. comparison set
Kentucky has 39,486 sq mi of land area and a population estimate of 4,606,864 for 2025. In the 51-place state and DC set, it is 36th by land area, 26th by population, and 25th by calculated density.
Density is not a separately reported value here. It is calculated from the population and land area above, converted to square kilometres, so the result can be compared with supported country figures.
U.S. boundary outline: Census TIGER/Line 2025. The drawing is fitted to this profile panel; use a comparison page for a shared-area scale.