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Berea, KY

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

15,786
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

33.2
years ∙ half population younger than 33.2, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
22.8%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

2.3%
foreign-born population
97.7%Native
2.3% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Berea is a city within Madison County, Kentucky, United States.
Location
City in Madison County, KY, US
Co-ordinates
DEC37.589296° N, 84.294502° W
DMS37° 35′ 21.47″ N, 84° 17′ 40.21″ W

Population Density & area

956.7/sq mi (368.8/km²)
Total Area
16.6 sq mi (43 km²)
Land Area
16.5 sq mi (42.8 km²) · 99.57%
Water Area
0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²) · 0.43%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

47% male
Male 47%
Female 53%
males per 100 females
Berea 88.7
Madison County 96.2
Kentucky 98.2

Nativity

2.3%
foreign-born population
97.7%Native
2.3% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Berea 2.3%
Madison County 2.4%
Kentucky 4.7%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

33.2
years ∙ half population younger than 33.2, half older
Berea
33.2
Madison County
34.7
Kentucky
39.1

Dependency ratio

Low High
53.7
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Berea 53.7
Madison County 55.9
Kentucky 66.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Berea Madison County Kentucky
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 21.8% 21% 22.6%
Working age (18-64) 65.1% 64.2% 60.1%
Senior (65+) 13.1% 14.8% 17.3%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 53.7 55.9 66.4
Child dependency ratio 33.5 32.8 37.6
Old-age dependency ratio 20.2 23.1 28.8
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
87.6%
Black
3%
Asian
0.7%
Hispanic
5.2%
Other
3.5%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
22.8%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Berea 22.8%
Madison County 22.8%
Kentucky 32.6%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Berea population
Berea Madison County Kentucky
Hispanic or Latino 5.2% 3.5% 5%
Mexican 2.4% 2.2% 2.5%
Puerto Rican 0.7% 0.5% 0.5%
Cuban 1.2% 0.2% 0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino 1% 0.7% 1.3%
Not Hispanic or Latino 94.8% 96.5% 95%
One race 91.6% 92.9% 91.1%
White 87.6% 87.6% 81.5%
Black or African American 3% 3.9% 7.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.1% 0.1% 0.1%
Asian 0.7% 0.9% 1.6%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.1% 0% 0.1%
Some Other Race 0.1% 0.3% 0.3%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 3.2% 3.6% 3.9%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

67.1% family
Family 67.1%
Non family 32.9%
% family households
Berea 67.1%
Madison County 62.1%
Kentucky 63.9%

Average household size

2.6
persons per household
Berea
2.6
Madison County
2.43
Kentucky
2.43

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Berea population
Berea Madison County Kentucky
Total households 5,519 37,051 1,814,469
Average houshold size 2.6 2.43 2.43
Family households 3,704 23,014 1,159,005
Average family size 3.05 3.01 3.03
Married couple family 2,448 17,392 844,820
Other families 1,256 5,622 314,185
Male householder 412 1,415 95,673
Female householder 844 4,207 218,512
Non-family households 1,815 14,037 655,464
One-person households 1,274 10,475 540,419
Male householder 490 5,034 247,145
Senior (65+) living alone 131 1,070 79,059
Female householder 784 5,441 293,274
Senior (65+) living alone 389 2,906 151,346
Other living arrangements 541 3,562 115,045

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

6,159
housing units
Berea 6,159
Madison County 40,456
Kentucky 2,023,116

Occupancy status

89.6% occupied
Occupied 89.6%
Vacant 10.4%
vacancy rate
Berea 10.4%
Madison County 8.4%
Kentucky 10.3%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

63.9%
Single family houses
Single family houses
63.9%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
33.1%
Mobile homes
2.9%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0.1%

Median Year Built

1990
Half of houses were built before 1990, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
5.1%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
17.3%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
41.9%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
35.7%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Berea Madison County Kentucky
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 5.7 5.6 5.7
1–3 rooms 8% 11.1% 10.4%
4–6 rooms 55% 52.9% 54.2%
7+ rooms 37% 35.9% 35.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 0.4% 1.4% 1.7%
1 bedroom 7.6% 9% 8.2%
2 bedrooms 30.8% 25.3% 25.1%
3 bedrooms 45% 45.3% 45.2%
4+ bedrooms 16.2% 18.9% 19.7%
At a glance
Median year built 1990 1993 1983
Total housing units 6,159 40,456 2,023,116
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

58.7% owners
Renter-occupied 41.3%
Owner-occupied 58.7%
homeownership rate
Berea 58.7%
Madison County 62%
Kentucky 68.3%

Average household size

2.81
Owner-occupied
2.31
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Berea 2.81
Madison County 2.64
Kentucky 2.53

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Berea Madison County Kentucky
Total occupied units 5,519 37,051 1,814,469
Year moved in
2020 or later 28% 31.9% 23.8%
2010 to 2019 43.9% 38.5% 38.4%
2000 to 2009 15.7% 14.5% 16.7%
1999 or earlier 12.4% 15.1% 21.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 98.2% 98.6% 98%
1.01 to 1.50 0.9% 0.7% 1.4%
1.51 or more 0.9% 0.6% 0.6%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 6.5% 4.9% 6.8%
1 vehicle 38.1% 32% 32.4%
2 vehicles 32% 38% 37.1%
3 or more vehicles 23.4% 25.1% 23.7%
House heating fuel used
Gas 26.8% 17% 41.5%
Electricity 72.4% 80.9% 54.9%
Solar 0% 0.1% 0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 0.4% 0.7%
All other fuels 0.7% 1.4% 2.3%
No fuel used 0.2% 0.3% 0.4%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0.2% 0.5% 0.5%
Lacking complete kitchen 0.1% 0.6% 0.8%
No telephone service available 1.4% 0.7% 1.1%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$199,900
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Berea
$199,900
Madison County
$232,000
Kentucky
$205,600

Housing Cost Burden

16.9%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
16.9%
Owners without a mortgage
5.5%
Renters
45%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Berea Madison County Kentucky
Property value
Median Value $199,900 $232,000 $205,600
Under $100,000 11.4% 11.9% 20.9%
$100,000 - $200,000 38.6% 27.1% 27.6%
$200,000 - $300,000 30.4% 30.1% 23.1%
$300,000 - $500,000 17% 23.8% 20.1%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 1.1% 6.1% 7.1%
$1,000,000 and more 1.5% 1% 1.2%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 62.2% 62% 56.1%
Without a mortgage 37.8% 38% 43.9%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,281 $1,485 $1,433
Without a mortgage $448 $459 $469
Gross rent
Median rent $835 $889 $967

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

27.2%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Berea 27.2%
Madison County 34.4%
Kentucky 27.6%

Adults without a high school diploma

14.5%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Berea 14.5%
Madison County 8.8%
Kentucky 11.1%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

4,684
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
4.5%
K–12
45.6%
College / Undergraduate
44.9%
Graduate / Professional
5%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

70.5%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Berea
70.5%
Madison County
57.9%
Kentucky
36%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Berea Madison County Kentucky
Total enrolled (age 3+) 4,684 26,547 1,039,376
Nursery / preschool 4.5% 4.6% 5.5%
K–12 45.6% 52.3% 70.6%
Kindergarten 2.8% 3.9% 5.2%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 13.9% 16.4% 21.4%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 15.2% 16.2% 21.9%
High School: Grades 9–12 13.7% 15.8% 22.2%
College or graduate school 49.9% 43.1% 23.8%
College, undergraduate 44.9% 38.5% 18.9%
Graduate, professional school 5% 4.5% 5%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 70.5% 57.9% 36%
School type
Public school 66.7% 76.1% 81.9%
Private school 33.3% 23.9% 18.1%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

9,712
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
6.4%
9th-12th, no diploma
8.1%
HS graduate
28.5%
Some college no degree
21.9%
Associates degree
7.8%
Bachelors degree
14.3%
Graduate or professional degree
13%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
30% · 70%
9th-12th, no diploma
58.7% · 41.3%
HS graduate
53.7% · 46.3%
Some college no degree
44.3% · 55.7%
Associates degree
41.4% · 58.6%
Bachelors degree
47.3% · 52.7%
Graduate or professional degree
37.6% · 62.4%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Berea Madison County Kentucky
Population (25+) 9,712 60,118 3,098,758
Less than 9th grade 6.4% 3.6% 4.3%
9th–12th, no diploma 8.1% 5.2% 6.8%
High school diploma or GED 28.5% 29% 32.6%
Some college, no degree 21.9% 18.9% 19.7%
Associate's degree 7.8% 8.9% 9%
Bachelor's degree or higher 27.2% 34.4% 27.6%
Bachelor's degree 14.3% 20.3% 16.2%
Graduate or professional 13% 14.1% 11.3%
High School or higher 85.5% 91.2% 88.9%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$41,355
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$35,180
HS graduate
$45,033
Some college or associates
$35,568
Bachelors degree
$43,658
Graduate or professional degree
$56,466

Poverty Rate

11.8%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
17.9%
HS graduate
18.8%
Some college or associates
16.8%
Bachelors degree or higher
11.8%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Berea Madison County Kentucky
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $41,355 $46,506 $46,524
Less than high school graduate $35,180 $32,849 $29,659
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $45,033 $39,283 $37,177
Some college or associate's degree $35,568 $38,722 $43,534
Bachelor's degree $43,658 $53,602 $60,526
Graduate or professional degree $56,466 $63,477 $70,952
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 17.9% 22.7% 33.5%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 18.8% 14.7% 17%
Some college or associate's degree 16.8% 12.2% 11.7%
Bachelor's degree or higher 11.8% 5.4% 4.7%

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