Kentucky County Formation Chart
| County | Founding Date | Founding Order | Parent County | County Seat |
| Jefferson County | 1780 | 1 of 3 original counties | Kentucky (Virginia) | Louisville |
| Lincoln County | 1780 | 1 of 3 original counties | Kentucky (Virginia) | Stanford |
| Fayette County | 1780 | 1 of 3 original counties | Kentucky (Virginia) | Lexington |
| Nelson County | 1785 | 4 | Jefferson | Bardstown |
| Bourbon County | 1786 | 5 | Fayette | Paris |
| Mercer County | 1786 | 6 | Lincoln | Harrodsburg |
| Madison County | 1786 | 7 | Lincoln | Richmond |
| Mason County | 1789 | 8 | Bourbon | Maysville |
| Woodford County | 1789 | 9 | Fayette | Versailles |
| Washington County | 1792 | 10 | Nelson | Springfield |
| Scott County | 1792 | 11 | Woodford | Georgetown |
| Shelby County | 1792 | 12 | Jefferson | Shelbyville |
| Logan County | 1792 | 13 | Lincoln | Russellville |
| Clark County | 1793 | 14 | Bourbon, Fayette | Winchester |
| Hardin County | 1793 | 15 | Nelson | Elizabethtown |
| Green County | 1793 | 16 | Lincoln, Nelson | Greensburg |
| Harrison County | 1794 | 17 | Bourbon, Scott | Cynthiana |
| Franklin County | 1795 | 18 | Mercer, Shelby, Woodford | Frankfort |
| Campbell County | 1795 | 19 | Harrison, Mason, Scott | Alexandria, Newport |
| Bullitt County | 1797 | 20 | Jefferson, Nelson | Shepherdsville |
| Christian County | 1797 | 21 | Logan | Hopkinsville |
| Montgomery County | 1797 | 22 | Clark | Mount Sterling |
| Bracken County | 1797 | 23 | Campbell, Mason | Brooksville |
| Warren County | 1797 | 24 | Logan | Bowling Green |
| Garrard County | 1797 | 25 | Lincoln, Madison, Mercer | Lancaster |
| Fleming County | 1798 | 26 | Mason | Flemingsburg |
| Pulaski County | 1799 | 27 | Green, Lincoln | Somerset |
| Pendleton County | 1799 | 28 | Bracken, Campbell | Falmouth |
| Livingston County | 1799 | 29 | Christian | Smithland |
| Boone County | 1799 | 30 | Campbell | Burlington |
| Henry County | 1799 | 31 | Shelby | New Castle |
| Cumberland County | 1799 | 32 | Green | Burkesville |
| Gallatin County | 1799 | 33 | Franklin, Shelby | Warsaw |
| Muhlenberg County | 1799 | 34 | Christian, Logan | Greenville |
| Ohio County | 1799 | 35 | Hardin | Hartford |
| Jessamine County | 1799 | 36 | Fayette | Nicholasville |
| Barren County | 1799 | 37 | Green, Warren | Glasgow |
| Henderson County | 1799 | 38 | Christian | Henderson |
| Breckinridge County | 1800 | 39 | Hardin | Hardinsburg |
| Floyd County | 1800 | 40 | Fleming, Mason, Montgomery | Prestonsburg |
| Knox County | 1800 | 41 | Lincoln | Barbourville |
| Nicholas County | 1800 | 42 | Bourbon, Mason | Carlisle |
| Wayne County | 1801 | 43 | Cumberland, Pulaski | Monticello |
| Adair County | 1802 | 44 | Green | Columbia |
| Greenup County | 1804 | 45 | Mason | Greenup |
| Casey County | 1807 | 46 | Lincoln | Liberty |
| Clay County | 1807 | 47 | Floyd, Knox, Madison | Manchester |
| Lewis County | 1807 | 48 | Mason | Vanceburg |
| Hopkins County | 1807 | 49 | Henderson | Madisonville |
| Estill County | 1808 | 50 | Clark, Madison | Irvine |
| Caldwell County | 1809 | 51 | Livingston | Princeton |
| Rockcastle County | 1810 | 52 | Knox, Lincoln, Madison, Pulaski | Mount Vernon |
| Butler County | 1810 | 53 | Logan, Ohio | Morgantown |
| Grayson County | 1810 | 54 | Hardin, Ohio | Leitchfield |
| Union County | 1811 | 55 | Henderson | Morganfield |
| Bath County | 1811 | 56 | Montgomery | Owingsville |
| Allen County | 1815 | 57 | Barren, Warren | Scottsville |
| Daviess County | 1815 | 58 | Ohio | Owensboro |
| Whitley County | 1818 | 59 | Knox | Williamsburg |
| Harlan County | 1819 | 60 | Floyd, Knox | Harlan |
| Hart County | 1819 | 61 | Green, Hardin | Munfordville |
| Owen County | 1819 | 62 | Franklin, Gallatin, Scott | Owenton |
| Simpson County | 1819 | 63 | Allen, Logan, Warren | Franklin |
| Todd County | 1820 | 64 | Christian, Logan | Elkton |
| Monroe County | 1820 | 65 | Barren, Cumberland | Tompkinsville |
| Trigg County | 1820 | 66 | Caldwell, Christian | Cadiz |
| Grant County | 1820 | 67 | Pendleton | Williamstown |
| Perry County | 1821 | 68 | Clay, Floyd | Hazard |
| Lawrence County | 1822 | 69 | Floyd, Greenup | Louisa |
| Pike County | 1822 | 70 | Floyd | Pikeville |
| Hickman County | 1821 | 71 | Caldwell, Livingston | Clinton |
| Calloway County | 1821 | 72 | Hickman | Murray |
| Morgan County | 1823 | 73 | Bath, Floyd | West Liberty |
| Oldham County | 1824 | 74 | Henry, Jefferson, Shelby | LaGrange |
| Graves County | 1821 | 75 | Hickman | Mayfield |
| Meade County | 1824 | 76 | Breckinridge, Hardin | Brandenburg |
| Spencer County | 1824 | 77 | Bullitt, Nelson, Shelby | Taylorsville |
| McCracken County | 1821 | 78 | Hickman | Paducah |
| Edmonson | 1825 | 79 | Grayson, Hart, Warren | Brownsville |
| Laurel County | 1826 | 80 | Clay, Knox, Rockcastle, Whitley | London |
| Russell County | 1826 | 81 | Adair, Cumberland, Wayne | Jamestown |
| Anderson County | 1827 | 82 | Franklin, Mercer, Washington | Lawrenceburg |
| Hancock County | 1829 | 83 | Breckinridge, Daviess, Ohio | Hawesville |
| Marion County | 1834 | 84 | Washington | Lebanon |
| Clinton County | 1836 | 85 | Cumberland, Wayne | Albany |
| Trimble County | 1837 | 86 | Gallatin, Henry, Oldham | Bedford |
| Carroll County | 1838 | 87 | Gallatin, Henry, Trimble | Carrollton |
| Carter County | 1838 | 88 | Greenup, Lawrence | Grayson |
| Breathitt County | 1839 | 89 | Clay, Estill, Perry | Jackson |
| Kenton County | 1840 | 90 | Campbell | Covington, Independence |
| Crittenden County | 1842 | 91 | Livingston | Marion |
| Marshall County | 1842 | 92 | Calloway | Benton |
| Ballard County | 1842 | 93 | Hickman, McCracken | Wickliffe |
| Boyle County | 1842 | 94 | Lincoln, Mercer | Danville |
| Letcher County | 1842 | 95 | Perry, Harlan | Whitesburg |
| Owsley County | 1843 | 96 | Breathitt, Clay, Estill | Booneville |
| Johnson County | 1843 | 97 | Floyd, Lawrence, Morgan | Paintsville |
| Larue County | 1843 | 98 | Hardin | Hodgenville |
| Fulton County | 1845 | 99 | Hickman | Hickman |
| Taylor County | 1848 | 100 | Green | Campbellsville |
| Powell County | 1852 | 101 | Clark, Estill, Montgomery | Stanton |
| Lyon County | 1854 | 102 | Caldwell | Eddyville |
| McLean County | 1854 | 103 | Daviess, Muhlenberg, Ohio | Calhoun |
| Rowan County | 1856 | 104 | Fleming, Morgan | Morehead |
| Jackson County | 1858 | 105 | Clay, Estill, Laurel, Owsley, Madison, Rockcastle | McKee |
| Metcalfe County | 1860 | 106 | Adair, Barren, Cumberland, Green, Monroe | Edmonton |
| Boyd County | 1860 | 107 | Carter, Greenup, Lawrence | Catlettsburg |
| Magoffin County | 1860 | 108 | Floyd, Johnson, Morgan | Salyersville |
| Webster County | 1860 | 109 | Henderson, Hopkins, Union | Dixon |
| Wolfe County | 1860 | 110 | Breathitt, Morgan, Owsley, Powell | Campton |
| Robertson County | 1867 | 111 | Bracken, Harrison, Mason, Nicholas | Mount Olivet |
| Bell County | 1867 | 112 | Harlan, Knox | Pineville |
| Menifee County | 1869 | 113 | Bath, Montgomery, Morgan, Powell, Wolfe | Frenchburg |
| Elliott County | 1869 | 114 | Carter, Lawrence, Morgan | Sandy Hook |
| Lee County | 1870 | 115 | Breathitt, Estill, Owsley, Wolfe | Beattyville |
| Martin County | 1870 | 116 | Floyd, Johnson, Lawrence, Pike | Inez |
| Leslie County | 1878 | 117 | Clay, Harlan, Perry | Hyden |
| Knott County | 1884 | 118 | Breathitt, Floyd, Letcher, Perry | Hindman |
| Carlisle County | 1886 | 119 | Ballard, Breckinridge, Green | Bardwell |
| McCreary County | 1912 | 120 | Pulaski, Wayne, Whitley | Whitley City |
Information Updated:04/21/2005