| ZIP Codes: | 8 ZIP Codes (4 Standard, 4 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Code: | 606 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (GMT -05:00) |
| Local Time: | 2:12:17 PM |
| Population: | 26,936 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 21043 |
| CBSA: | Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH |
| Land Area: | 454 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 3 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 38.2954, -83.0295 |
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26,936 residents live across 8 ZIPs covering 454 sq mi, served by 8 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 28,828 to 26,891 from 2014 to 2024 — a -6.7% change. 3 ZIPs gained residents, 2 lost.
The county's wealthiest ZIP 41164 (Olive Hill, $53,579 median) and poorest ZIP 41132 (Denton, $34,471) are 20.6 miles apart — a 1.6× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 1.3× across this county — from $120,100 in 41164 (Olive Hill) to $150,600 in 41143 (Grayson).
Density varies 2× across the county — from 40 people/sq mi in 41132 (Denton) to 98 in 41146 (Hitchins).
Educational attainment ranges from 3.1% bachelor's+ in 41146 (Hitchins) to 18.5% in 41143 (Grayson) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within Kentucky, this is the #43 most populous of 120 counties and ranks #90 for median household income .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $51,091 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
16.2% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (3,029 of 18,738 reporting).
4 Standard delivery, 4 PO Box only, 0 single-entity Unique ZIPs serve this county.
Carter County lost 6.6% of residents between 2014 and 2024. ZIPs that shed the largest share:
| ZIP | City | Type | Population | Median Income | Area (sq mi) | 10-yr Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41143 | Grayson | Standard | 13,242 | $49,257 | 194.1 | -11.6% |
| 41164 | Olive Hill | Standard | 12,574 | $53,579 | 242.9 | -4.2% |
| 41146 | Hitchins | Standard | 517 | $52,653 | 5.3 | 59.6% |
| 41132 | Denton | Standard | 469 | $34,471 | 11.7 | 42.1% |
| 41142 | Grahn | PO Box | 89 | — | 0.0 | 39.1% |
| 41181 | Willard | PO Box | 45 | — | 0.0 | — |
| 41128 | Carter | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 41173 | Soldier | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |