County outline
Where Bullitt County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 98.9% of Bullitt County’s measured area and water for 1.1%. Its combined area converts to 777.7 square kilometers or approximately 192,170 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 297.089 | 769.457 | 190,137 |
| Water | 3.176 | 8.226 | 2,032.6 |
| Total | 300.265 | 777.683 | 192,169.6 |
How Bullitt County compares
By original Census land area, Bullitt County ranks #66 of 120 in Kentucky and #2813 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.971 times the Kentucky county-equivalent median of 306 square miles. It accounts for 0.8% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Kentucky ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Bullitt County
The Census Bureau estimates that 86,454 people lived in Bullitt County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #694 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #10 of 120 in Kentucky. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 82,224, the population has grown by 4,230 (+5.1%), compared with +2.2% for Kentucky as a whole.
With 297.1 square miles of land, that is 291 people per square mile (112 per km²), placing Bullitt County #519 nationally for density and #9 in Kentucky. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Kentucky median is 59. Put another way, there are about 2.2 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 82,365 | 83,096 | 83,946 | 84,996 | 85,765 | 86,454 |
| Change | — | +731 | +850 | +1,050 | +769 | +689 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Bullitt County
8 incorporated places lie at least partly in Bullitt County. Together they are home to 49,423 people (57.2%); the other 37,031 (42.8%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Mount Washington city, with 18,989 residents in the county. The county seat, Shepherdsville city, has 14,931 residents. By land, Shepherdsville city is the largest at 16.3 mi². Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Shepherdsville city grew fastest since then (+5.2%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Washington city | 18,989 | +5% | 9.575 |
| Shepherdsville cityCounty seat | 14,931 | +5.2% | 16.3 |
| Hillview city | 9,020 | +4.5% | 6.714 |
| Pioneer Village city | 2,794 | +4.7% | 1.226 |
| Lebanon Junction city | 1,837 | +4.9% | 5.642 |
| Hebron Estates city | 1,056 | +4.5% | 0.591 |
| Fox Chase city | 458 | +4.6% | 0.382 |
| Hunters Hollow city | 338 | +4.6% | 0.072 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Bullitt County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Bullitt County is a central county of the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 12 county equivalents have 1,402,509 residents on 3,960.8 square miles of land; Bullitt County accounts for 7.5% of the land and 6.2% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #74 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #44 by population. It belongs to the Louisville/Jefferson County--Elizabethtown, KY-IN Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County | 795,222 | 380.8 |
| Clark CountyIndiana | 130,451 | 372.5 |
| Bullitt County | 86,454 | 297.1 |
| Floyd CountyIndiana | 82,153 | 148.5 |
| Oldham County | 70,986 | 187.3 |
| Shelby County | 51,243 | 379.8 |
| Nelson County | 49,036 | 418.7 |
| Harrison CountyIndiana | 40,437 | 484.1 |
| Meade County | 30,699 | 305.5 |
| Washington CountyIndiana | 28,383 | 513.7 |
| Spencer County | 20,998 | 186.7 |
| Henry County | 16,447 | 286.3 |
ZIP codes
11 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Bullitt County; 5 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
4001340047400714010940110401504016540177402294027240299
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Bullitt County
Bullitt County shares a land border with 4 county equivalents. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Hardin County (623.9 mi²) and the smallest is Spencer County (186.7 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Bullitt County forms a block of 1,907.2 mi² of land, of which it holds 15.6%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Bullitt | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardin County | 623.9 | 2.1× larger | Compare |
| Nelson County | 418.7 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| Jefferson County | 380.8 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Spencer County | 186.7 | 1.6× smaller | Compare |
How big is Bullitt County compared with U.S. states?
Bullitt County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 3.5 times as much. Kentucky’s county land could hold about 133 areas the size of Bullitt County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 17.2 miles (27.7 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Bullitt County?
Bullitt County has more land than 409 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Bullitt County at #2,850 nationally by total area, 37 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 1.1%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.1 percentage points lower. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Bullitt County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2812 | Washington County, Kentucky | 297.3 | Compare |
| #2813 | Bullitt County, Kentucky | 297.1 | This county |
| #2814 | Heard County, Georgia | 296 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 37.962736, -85.699810. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 769,456,583 m²; AWATER: 8,224,991 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Bullitt County?
Bullitt County, Kentucky has 297.1 square miles (769.5 km²) of land and 3.176 square miles of water, for a total area of 300.3 square miles. It ranks #2813 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Bullitt County the largest county in Kentucky?
No. Bullitt County ranks #66 of 120 in Kentucky by land area. The largest is Pike County, with 786.2 square miles of land.
What counties border Bullitt County?
Bullitt County shares a land border with Jefferson County, Nelson County, Hardin County, and Spencer County.
What is the population of Bullitt County?
The Census Bureau estimates Bullitt County had 86,454 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #694 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 291 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Bullitt County?
The county seat of Bullitt County is Shepherdsville.
What cities and towns are in Bullitt County?
Bullitt County has 8 incorporated places. The most populous five are Mount Washington city, Shepherdsville city, Hillview city, Pioneer Village city, and Lebanon Junction city; 37,031 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Bullitt County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 12 county equivalents and 1,402,509 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Bullitt County?
11 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Bullitt County, and 5 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Bullitt County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 3.5 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Bullitt County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 190,137 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 192,170 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.