Breathitt County is a county in Kentucky, United States, in the eastern Appalachian coalfield
about 70 miles southeast of Lexington. It had a population of 13,718 at the 2020 census, an
estimated 12,558 by 2025, and covers 495 square miles (1,280 km2) centred near 37°31′N 83°19′W.
Jackson is the county seat and its only incorporated city; its postal code is 41339. The
county holds 1 city and roughly 30 named unincorporated communities across the county, and it
runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 21025.
Towns & Villages in Breathitt County
Breathitt County has one incorporated city, Jackson, and dozens of unincorporated
communities — former post-office stops, coal camps and creek-mouth settlements with no
city government of their own. The table below lists 30 named places on record. Unincorp.
covers a crossroads or creek community with no formal boundary or local government.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson | City · seat | 2,237 | 41339 |
| Altro | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bays | Unincorp. | — | 41310 |
| Canoe | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Chenowee | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Clayhole | Unincorp. | — | 41317 |
| Crockettsville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Elkatawa | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Evanston | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Flintville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Guage | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Haddix | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lost Creek | Unincorp. | — | 41348 |
| Morris Fork | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ned | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Noble | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Noctor | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oakdale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Portsmouth | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Quicksand | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rousseau | Unincorp. | — | 41366 |
| Sebastians Branch | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Shoulderblade | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Stevenson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Vancleve | Unincorp. | — | 41385 |
| War Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Watts | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Whick | Unincorp. | — | 41390 |
| Wilstacy | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wolf Coal | Unincorp. | — | — |
Two names on the list are easy to confuse with a nearby spelling variant used on older maps:
Guage is also written Gauge, and Shoulderblade appears as two words, Shoulder Blade, on some
postal records. Both refer to the same community in each case.
ZIP Codes
- 41339 — Jackson (the county’s only city and largest ZIP by population)
- 41310 — Bays
- 41317 — Clayhole
- 41348 — Lost Creek
- 41366 — Rousseau
- 41385 — Vancleve
- 41390 — Whick
Breathitt County runs on just seven ZIP codes total. Every other community on the list above
— Altro, Canoe, Chenowee, Crockettsville, Elkatawa and the rest — has no post office
of its own and is served by mail carriers out of the nearest of these seven towns.
Geography
Breathitt County sits on the Cumberland Plateau in eastern Kentucky’s Appalachian coalfield, a
country of steep, narrow ridges and creek hollows with almost no flat land outside the river
bottoms. Of its 495 square miles, 492 square miles are land and 2.9 square miles are water,
about 0.6 percent of the total.
The North Fork and Middle Fork of the Kentucky River join at Jackson and drain most of the
county; Panbowl Lake, a former river bend cut off from the North Fork in 1963, sits beside
downtown Jackson and is the county’s main body of still water.
Wolfe and Magoffin counties border Breathitt to the north and northeast, Knott County lies to
the east, Perry County to the southeast, Owsley County to the southwest, and Lee County to the
west. Wolfe County, Magoffin County, Knott County, Perry County, Owsley County and Lee County all border Breathitt
directly.
Demographics
Breathitt County had a population of 13,718 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts
the county near 12,558 residents, a decline typical of the Eastern Kentucky coalfield since coal
employment fell. Jackson, with 2,237 residents, is by far the county’s largest single community;
everyone else lives in one of the unincorporated communities or in the open country between
them. Kentucky’s statewide median household income was $61,118 (2023 ACS), a figure Breathitt
County runs well below given the county’s coal-era job losses and its position among the
poorest counties in Appalachian Kentucky. Population density works out to roughly 28 people per
square mile of land, low even for a rural Appalachian county.
Economy & Local Life
Coal mining shaped Breathitt County’s economy for more than a century, and companies
including Arch Coal and US Coal have operated mines in the county; employment in the sector has
fallen sharply since its mid-20th-century peak. Jackson is the county’s institutional center:
Hazard Community and Technical College operates its Lees College Campus there, and the town’s
hospital and county offices provide much of the county’s non-coal employment. Panbowl Lake, next
to downtown Jackson, is the county’s main public recreation spot for fishing and walking.
Breathitt County was a dry county for most of its history; a July 2016 public referendum
legalized the sale of alcohol countywide.
History
The Kentucky legislature established Breathitt County on 6 February 1839, carving it out of
Clay, Estill and Perry counties, and named it for John Breathitt, who served as Kentucky’s
governor from 1832 to 1834. Jackson, the county seat, was incorporated as a city in 1845 and
reincorporated in 1890; it takes its name from President Andrew Jackson.
The county earned the nickname “Bloody Breathitt” for a string of family and
political feuds that ran from the 1870s through 1903, among the most violent in the region’s
history. A fire on Halloween night in 1913 destroyed much of downtown Jackson, and the town was
rebuilt largely in brick in the years that followed.
Getting There
No interstate crosses Breathitt County. KY 15 is the county’s main highway, running through
Jackson and connecting north to the Mountain Parkway (Bert T. Combs Parkway) at the KY 15 Spur
exit near Campton in Wolfe County; KY 30, KY 52, KY 205 and KY 1812 also serve the county.
- Hazard — about 23 miles southeast
- Beattyville — about 17 miles west
- Campton — about 15 miles northwest
- Lexington — about 70 miles northwest
Blue Grass Airport in Lexington is the nearest major commercial airport. Julian Carroll
Airport, a public general-aviation field just outside Jackson, also hosts a National Weather
Service office. CSX operates a freight line through the county on the former Louisville and
Nashville Railroad route; there is no passenger rail service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Breathitt County located?
It sits on the Cumberland Plateau in eastern Kentucky’s Appalachian coalfield, about 70 miles
southeast of Lexington, bordered by Wolfe, Magoffin, Knott, Perry, Owsley and Lee counties.
What is the population of Breathitt County?
13,718 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 12,558.
How big is Breathitt County?
495 square miles (1,280 km2), of which 492 square miles are land and 2.9 square miles are
water.
What is the county seat of Breathitt County?
Jackson is the county seat and the county’s only incorporated city.
How many towns and villages are in Breathitt County?
One incorporated city, Jackson, plus roughly 30 named unincorporated communities including
Vancleve, Quicksand, Clayhole and Lost Creek.
What ZIP codes does Breathitt County use?
Seven in all: 41339 for Jackson, plus 41310, 41317, 41348, 41366, 41385 and 41390 for Bays,
Clayhole, Lost Creek, Rousseau, Vancleve and Whick.
What is Breathitt County known for?
The “Bloody Breathitt” feud era of the 1870s–1903, its coal-mining history, and
being a dry county until a 2016 alcohol-sales referendum.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kentucky.