† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupAshlandKentuckyUnited States
English22.2%14.5%9.5%
Irish13.1%11.0%9.4%
American11.6%11.5%5.3%
German9.7%12.7%12.5%
Scotch-Irish3.5%0.8%—
Scottish2.1%2.0%1.3%
Italian1.2%2.0%4.8%
Welsh0.8%——
Mexican1.7%2.4%11.3%
Cuban0.3%0.7%0.7%
African American†1.7%6.6%9.9%
African0.3%0.5%0.5%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Ashland
Kentucky
United States
Median age
40.7
39.2
39.1
Age 18–24
7.9%
9.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
19.2%
17.3%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Ashland
Kentucky
United States
Median household income
$52,715
$63,726
$84,427
Poverty rate
22.4%
16.1%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
24.8%
27.7%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Ashland
Kentucky
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
3.2%
6.8%
22.3%
Spanish
1.7%
3.4%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
Ashland
Kentucky
United States
Catholic
—
7.9%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
31.3%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
50.7%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Ashland, Kentucky
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−1.7%
2008
−8.1%
2012
−12.6%
2016
−25.1%
2020
−29.1%
2024
−23.6%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
37.5%Harris3,329
61.1%Trump5,424
1.5%
R+23.6
D+5.5
R+22.1
8,884
R
34.6%Biden3,256
63.7%Trump5,996
1.7%
R+29.1
R+4.0
R+33.6
9,413
R
35.1%Clinton3,116
60.2%Trump5,341
4.7%
R+25.1
R+12.5
R+27.2
8,872
R
42.7%Obama3,991
55.3%Romney5,167
2.0%
R+12.6
R+4.5
R+16.4
9,349
R
45.0%Obama4,229
53.1%McCain4,989
1.9%
R+8.1
R+6.4
R+15.4
9,393
R
48.7%Kerry4,855
50.3%Bush5,021
1.0%
R+1.7
—
D+0.8
9,974
Ashland sits at the confluence of the Big Sandy and Ohio rivers, anchoring Kentucky's northeastern corner. Once a union-labor stronghold tied to steel and coal, the city has shifted sharply Republican over the past two decades, mirroring broader Appalachian realignment.
Across the recorded series it reached a Republican high of 29.1 points in 2020. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 5.5 points toward the Democratic candidate; the 2024 margin was 23.6 points.
A population of 21,295, a 92% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $52,715 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Madison and Mount Vernon.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Ashland, Kentucky voted Republican by 23.6 points (R+23.6), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 8,884 votes cast, 3,329 went Democratic and 5,424 went Republican.
How many people live in Ashland, Kentucky?
Ashland, Kentucky has a population of 21,295 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Ashland, Kentucky?
Median household income in Ashland, Kentucky is $52,715 — below the national median of $80,734. The Kentucky state median is $63,726.
What is the political history of Ashland, Kentucky?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Ashland, Kentucky from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 0 went Democratic and 6 went Republican.
