Hancock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,095.^[1] Its county seat is in the city of Hawesville located in the Northern part of the county, and its largest city of Lewisport is located in the Northwestern part of the county.^[2]

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Hancock County
County
Hancock County courthouse in Hawesville, KY
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°50′N 86°47′W
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
Founded	1829
Named for	John Hancock
Seat	Hawesville
Largest city	Lewisport
Area
• Total	199 sq mi (520 km2)
• Land	188 sq mi (490 km2)
• Water	11 sq mi (30 km2)  5.6%
Population  (2020)
• Total	9,095
• Estimate  (2023)	8,920
• Density	46/sq mi (18/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	www.hancockky.us

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Hancock County is included in the Owensboro, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The Hancock County Board of Education consists of 4 public school systems. Hancock County High School (HCHS), Hancock County Middle School (HCMS), South Hancock Elementary School, & North Hancock Elementary School (NHES). North Hancock Elementary School being the only one located in Lewisport. NHES replaced the previously outdated Lewisport Elementary School with a newly constructed $8,829,532 building.

Hancock County was formed in 1829 from portions of Breckinridge, Daviess, and Ohio counties.^[3] The county is named for John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.^[4][5]

The courthouse, the second to serve the county, was built in 1868 and renovated in 1978.^[6]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 199 square miles (520 km²), of which 188 square miles (490 km²) is land and 11 square miles (28 km²) (5.6%) is water.^[7] The northern border of the county lies along the Ohio River.

As of the census^[13] of 2000, there were 8,392 people, 3,215 households, and 2,436 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 per square mile (17/km²). There were 3,600 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile (7.3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.97% White, 0.85% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. 0.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,215 households, out of which 36.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.40% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.20% were non-families. 21.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.70% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,914, and the median income for a family was $42,994. Males had a median income of $35,294 versus $23,574 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,623. About 11.40% of families and 13.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.00% of those under age 18 and 15.80% of those age 65 or over.

The county gave Barack Obama a majority of the votes in 2008, but went back to Republican hands in 2012, and has stayed that way since.