The three original counties of Kentucky intersected in what is today Franklin County. Franklin County was established in 1795 from land given by Mercer, Shelby, and Woodford counties. Franklin was the 18th Kentucky county in order of formation.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
Franklin County's voter registration is overwhelmingly Democratic. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a ratio of more than 4 to 1. However, in national elections the county has supported both Democrats and Republicans. In 2000 Democrat Al Gore won 50% of the vote to Republican George W. Bush's 47%. In 2004, Bush won 50% of the vote to Democrat John Kerry's 48%. In 2008 Republican John McCain defeated Democrat Barack Obama 49.47% to 48.87%, a difference of only 144 votes, only for Obama to narrowly edge out Mitt Romney in 2012. However, Donald Trump won the county in 2016.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 47,687 people, 19,907 households, and 12,840 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 21,409 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 87.98% White, 9.36% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. 1.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 19,907 households out of which 29.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.70% were married couples living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.50% were non-families. 30.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.86. 22.60% of the population was under the age of 18, 9.70% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $40,011, and the median income for a family was $51,052. Males had a median income of $32,826 versus $26,201 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,229. About 6.90% of families and 10.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.80% of those under age 18 and 12.20% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The county is served by two public school districts: and .
Franklin County Public Schools
This district takes in almost all of the county, including the majority of the city of Frankfort. It operates the following schools:
This district serves an area roughly covering the Frankfort neighborhoods known as "downtown", South Frankfort, and Bellepoint. It operates two schools:
Leslie Morris Park on Fort Hill: of woodland overlooking downtown Frankfort. It contains trails that guide visitors through the remains of earthwork forts that were the main defensive position for Union troops protecting the city during an 1864 Civil War skirmish.
