Woodford County is a county in Kentucky, United States, in the heart of the Bluegrass region between Lexington and Frankfort. It had a population of 26,871 at the 2020 census and covers 192 square miles (500 km2) centred near 38°02′N 84°43′W.
Versailles is the county seat, and its postal code is 40383. The county has two incorporated cities and roughly twenty unincorporated communities and crossroads. Woodford County observes Eastern Time and carries FIPS code 21239.
Towns & Villages in Woodford County
Woodford County has two incorporated cities — Versailles and Midway — and a wide scatter of unincorporated communities and rural crossroads across its horse-farm countryside. The table below lists every settlement carried forward from county records, with population figures given only where a 2020 census count exists.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Versailles | City · seat | 10,347 | 40383 |
| Midway | City | 1,718 | 40347 |
| Bonita | Unincorp. | — | 40383 |
| Clifton | Unincorp. | — | 40383 |
| Davistown | Unincorp. | — | 40383 |
| Duckers | Unincorp. | — | 40383 |
| Faywood | Unincorp. | — | 40347 |
| Firmantown | Unincorp. | — | 40383 |
| Gaybourn | Unincorp. | — | 40383 |
| Hunter Town | Unincorp. | — | 40383 |
| McKees Crossroads | Unincorp. | — | 40383 |
| Millville | Unincorp. | — | 40347 |
| Milner | Unincorp. | — | 40383 |
| Mortonsville | Unincorp. | — | 40383 |
| Mundys Landing | Unincorp. | — | 40383 |
| Nonesuch | Unincorp. | — | 40383 |
| Nugent Crossroads | Unincorp. | — | 40383 |
| Pinckard | Unincorp. | — | 40383 |
| Pisgah | Unincorp. | — | 40383 |
| Shetland | Unincorp. | — | 40383 |
| Troy | Unincorp. | — | 40383 |
| Wallace | Unincorp. | — | 40383 |
| Woodford Village | Unincorp. | — | 40383 |
ZIP Codes
- 40383 — Versailles (also serves most of the county’s unincorporated communities)
- 40347 — Midway (also serves Faywood and Millville)
Versailles carries two additional ZIP codes, 40384 and 40386, used for post office boxes and business routes rather than residential delivery.
Geography
Woodford County sits in the rolling limestone farmland of the inner Bluegrass, known for horse farms and the Kentucky River, which forms part of the county’s southern and eastern boundary in a steep-walled palisades gorge. Elk Creek and Clear Creek drain the county’s interior toward the river. The county borders Franklin County to the northwest, Scott County to the north, Fayette County to the east, Jessamine County to the southeast, Mercer County to the south, and Anderson County to the southwest.
Demographics
Woodford County had 26,871 residents at the 2020 census, spread across roughly 189 square miles of land for a density of about 142 people per square mile. Versailles, with 10,347 residents, and Midway, with 1,718, are the county’s two largest communities; most of the remaining population lives on farms and in rural subdivisions outside either city. Median household income in Woodford County runs above the Kentucky median of $61,118, reflecting the county’s horse-farm wealth and its position within the Lexington-Fayette metro area.
Economy & Local Life
Thoroughbred horse breeding and bourbon distilling anchor the county’s economy. The Woodford Reserve Distillery, operating on a site first licensed in 1812, sits along Glenns Creek southeast of Versailles and draws visitors on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Horse farms across the county board and breed Thoroughbreds for the Central Kentucky racing and sales industry, and several rank among the region’s best-known breeding operations. Versailles serves as the county’s retail and government center, with a courthouse square lined by 19th-century storefronts, while Midway, home to Midway University, retains a small-town main street built around its railroad depot and hosts a well-known fall festival drawing visitors from across the Bluegrass.
Agriculture beyond horses still matters here too — cattle, corn, and tobacco allotments once dominated the county’s rural economy, and family farms remain common on the back roads between Versailles and the Kentucky River palisades. Commuting to Lexington’s larger job market has grown as the county’s population has risen, and Woodford County increasingly functions as a bedroom community for Fayette County while keeping its own agricultural identity.
History
Woodford County was formed on November 12, 1788, from part of Fayette County, then still Virginia territory, and became one of the nine original counties of Kentucky when the state entered the Union in 1792 — the last of the nine to be organized. It was named for William Woodford, a Virginia Revolutionary War general who died as a British prisoner of war in 1780. The county’s Bluegrass soil drew early settlers to establish farms and, later, the horse and distilling industries that still define it.
Getting There
US 60 and US 62 cross Woodford County, and the Bluegrass Parkway skirts its southern edge, linking Versailles to Lexington and Frankfort.
- Lexington — 13 miles east
- Frankfort — 14 miles northwest
- Georgetown — 20 miles north
- Danville — 30 miles south
Blue Grass Airport in Lexington is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Woodford County, Kentucky?
It lies in the Bluegrass region of central Kentucky, between Lexington and Frankfort.
What is the population of Woodford County?
26,871 residents at the 2020 census.
How big is Woodford County?
192 square miles (500 km2), of which 189 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Woodford County?
Versailles is the county seat.
How many towns are in Woodford County?
Two incorporated cities, Versailles and Midway, plus about twenty unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Woodford County?
Mainly 40383 (Versailles) and 40347 (Midway).
What is Woodford County known for?
Thoroughbred horse farms and the Woodford Reserve Distillery, one of the oldest bourbon-distilling sites in Kentucky.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kentucky.