About Pike County

Located at the easternmost tip of Kentucky in the coalfields of the Cumberland Mountains, Pike County covers 786 square miles, giving it the distinction of being Kentucky’s largest county by land area. Its nearly 68,000 residents make it the 11th most populous county.

According to the 2000 national census, the county’s largest industries are services and mining. At nearly 35 million tons per year, Pike County’s coal accounts for almost 25% of Kentucky’s total coal production and it is one of the world’s top producers of bituminous coal.

Surprising to many is the fact that Pike County is Kentucky’s third largest banking center, with financial institutions and holding companies with more than $1 billion in assets. In the five years spanning 1995-2000, personal income increased by 28%, and the county’s per capita income exceeded the national and state average growth rates of the past decade.