Elliott County, Kentucky

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Elliott County is a rural county in eastern Kentucky. Its county seat is Sandy Hook. It was formed in 1869 from parts of Morgan, Lawrence, and Carter counties and is named for John Milton Elliott, a judge and U.S. congressman (some sources say it was named for his father, John Lyle Elliott).

Geography and population
- Area: about 235 square miles, mostly land (0.4% water).
- Population: 7,354 in 2020; about 7,263 in 2024. Population density is around 31 people per square mile.
- Demographics: about 94% White, 3% Black, small numbers of other races, and about 1.2% Hispanic or Latino. Most residents live in rural areas.
- Age and households: median age around 42; roughly 20% are under 18, and about 18% are 65 or older. There were about 2,500 households.

Economy and community
- Elliott County is part of the Eastern Kentucky coalfield and has a low-income profile.
- The Little Sandy Correctional Complex is a major local employer.
- The county is in the Bible Belt and tends to be socially conservative on issues such as abortion and LGBT rights.
- The courthouse burned in 1957, destroying many old records.

Politics and voting
- Historically, the county voted for the Democratic presidential candidate from 1872 up to 2012, the longest such streak in the country.
- In 2016, 2020, and 2024, the county voted for the Republican presidential candidate (Donald Trump).
- By 2024, about 23% of voters were registered Republicans, a sharp rise from earlier years.
- In state and local races, many Democrats continued to win in the 2010s, though that mix has shifted in recent years.
- In 2022, Elliott County voted in favor of a constitutional abortion amendment.

Other notes
- Elliott County is a small, very rural community with a strong historical identity and a tradition of Democratic presidential voting that shifted in the 2010s and 2020s.