Bullitt County, Kentucky

Bullitt County is a county in Kentucky, United States, immediately south of Louisville in the Knobs region of the Bluegrass. It had a population of 82,217 at the 2020 census and covers 300 square miles (780 km2) — 297 square miles land, 3.2 square miles water — centred near 37°58′N 85°42′W.

Shepherdsville is the county seat, and its postal code is 40165. The county has 8 incorporated cities and a number of unincorporated communities, sits in the Eastern time zone, and forms part of the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metropolitan area.

Towns & Villages in Bullitt County

Bullitt County has 8 incorporated cities and roughly two dozen unincorporated communities. Type legend: City · seat = the county seat; City/Town = incorporated; CDP = census-designated place; Unincorp. = unincorporated community with no municipal government.

Most of the county’s unincorporated communities share a Shepherdsville or Lebanon Junction mailing address even though they are not part of either city — the ZIP column above reflects the post office that serves each place, not municipal limits.

ZIP Codes

• 40165 — Shepherdsville (also serves Brownington, Solitude, Zoneton and most rural addresses in the county’s center)
• 40047 — Mount Washington
• 40129 — Hillview
• 40150 — Lebanon Junction (also serves Bardstown Junction and Lotus)
• 40109 — Brooks (also serves Cupio, Hobbs, Katharyn, Poplar Level and Stites)
• 40110 — Clermont
• 40166 — a secondary unique Shepherdsville ZIP for a large-volume mail recipient

Every incorporated city in Bullitt County has its own post office ZIP; the smaller unincorporated communities are covered by the nearest one.

Geography

Bullitt County sits in the Knobs, a ring of steep, conical hills that separates the Bluegrass region from Kentucky’s western coalfields. The Salt River crosses the county and gathers several smaller creeks before reaching the Ohio River. Interstate 65 bisects the county north to south, and the western fifth of Bullitt County — about 62 square miles — lies inside the Fort Knox military reservation and is closed to the public.

Bullitt County borders Jefferson County to the north, Spencer County to the east, Nelson County to the southeast, and Hardin County to the southwest.

Demographics

Bullitt County had 82,217 residents at the 2020 census, a density of roughly 277 people per square mile of land. Mount Washington and Shepherdsville are the county’s two largest communities. Bullitt County’s median household income runs above the Kentucky median of $61,118, driven by its position as a Louisville commuter county with a large share of workers holding jobs in Jefferson County.

Economy & Local Life

Warehousing and logistics dominate the modern Bullitt County economy — more than 6 million square feet of distribution space has been built along the I-65 corridor since 2000, drawing on the county’s position between Louisville and the UPS Worldport air hub. Historically, the county’s economy began with salt: Bullitt’s Lick, near present-day Shepherdsville, was one of the earliest commercial saltworks in Kentucky and is often cited as the state’s first industry. Agriculture, particularly cattle and corn, remains part of the rural economy outside the I-65 corridor.

History

Bullitt County was formed in December 1796 from parts of Jefferson and Nelson counties and named for Alexander Scott Bullitt, Kentucky’s first lieutenant governor. Its early economy centered on Bullitt’s Lick, a saltworks worked from the 1780s that supplied much of frontier Kentucky and drew settlers to the Salt River valley. The county’s location on the main road between Louisville and Bardstown shaped its towns, several of which — including Lebanon Junction and Shepherdsville — grew up around railroad crossings in the 19th century.

Getting There

Interstate 65 runs the length of the county, linking Shepherdsville directly to Louisville and, farther south, to Elizabethtown and Nashville. US 31E and KY 61 provide secondary routes to the surrounding countryside.

• Louisville — 15 miles north
• Elizabethtown — 25 miles southwest
• Bardstown — 20 miles southeast
• Frankfort — 45 miles northeast

The nearest commercial airport is Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, about 20 miles north of Shepherdsville.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Bullitt County, Kentucky?
It lies in north-central Kentucky, directly south of Louisville, in the Knobs region.

What is the population of Bullitt County?
82,217 people, per the 2020 census.

How big is Bullitt County?
300 square miles (780 km2), of which 297 square miles is land.

What is the county seat of Bullitt County?
Shepherdsville.

How many towns and communities are in Bullitt County?
8 incorporated cities plus roughly two dozen unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes are in Bullitt County?
40109, 40110, 40129, 40150, 40165 and 40166, plus 40047 for Mount Washington.

Why is part of Bullitt County closed to the public?
The western fifth of the county lies inside the Fort Knox military reservation and is off-limits.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kentucky.