Knox county is in the Eastern Coal Field region of Kentucky. The elevation in the county ranges from 890 to 2322 feet above sea level.

It was formed in 1800 from Lincoln county. Knox county was a source of Rockcastle (1810), Whitley (1818), Harlan (1819), Laurel (1826), and Bell (1867) counties. The county seat is Barbourville.

In 2020 the county population was 30,193 in a land area of 386.30 square miles, an average of 78.2 people per square mile.

The equine population was 600 in the 2012 Kentucky Equine Survey.

Knox county is in the London micro statistical area and the Cumberland Valley Area Development District. It is in the Appalachian region according to the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Knox county was named for General Henry Knox, who served in the Continental Army and was the first United States Secretary of War.

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© 2024 David C. Elbon