Spencer County was formed in January 1824, by the 32nd Kentucky General Assembly. The land that now makes up Spencer County was taken from Bullitt County, Shelby County, and Nelson County. Spencer County became Kentucky's 77th county. The county was named for Kentucky's Captain Spier Spencer, who fought and died in the Battle of Tippecanoe. Later that year, in December 1824, Taylorsville was made the county seat. In 1829, the city was incorporated. During the American Civil War, the courthouse at Taylorsville was burned by Confederate guerrillas in January 1865, but the county's records were saved.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,766 people, 4,251 households, and 3,358 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 4,555 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 97.50% White, 1.13% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 1.12% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 4,251 households out of which 38.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.90% were married couplesliving together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.00% were non-families. 17.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.08. In the county, the population was spread out with 27.00% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 33.50% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 9.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $47,042, and the median income for a family was $52,038. Males had a median income of $36,638 versus $24,196 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,848. About 7.70% of families and 8.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.90% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The Spencer County Public Schools comprises six schools: Spencer County High School, Spencer County Middle School, Spencer County Elementary School, Taylorsville Elementary School, Hillview Academy, and Spencer County Preschool.
