Harlan County, Kentucky

Harlan County
County
Harlan County courthouse in Harlan
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 36°52′N 83°13′W / 36.86°N 83.22°W / 36.86; -83.22
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
Founded	1819
Named for	Silas Harlan
Seat	Harlan
Largest city	Cumberland
Area
• Total	468 sq mi (1,210 km2)
• Land	466 sq mi (1,210 km2)
• Water	2.3 sq mi (6 km2)  0.5%
Population  (2020)
• Total	26,831
• Estimate  (2023)	25,324
• Density	57/sq mi (22/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	5th
Website	judge-executive.harlanonline.net

Harlan County is a county located in southeastern Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,831.^[1] Its county seat is Harlan.^[2] It is classified as a moist county—one in which alcohol sales are prohibited (a dry county), but containing a "wet" city—in this case Cumberland, where package alcohol sales are allowed. In the city of Harlan, restaurants seating 100+ may serve alcoholic beverages.^[3]

Harlan County is well known in folk and country music, having produced many prominent musicians. During the 20th century, it was often a center of labor strife between coal mine owners and union workers, especially in the Harlan County War of the 1930s. The coal mining industry began to decline in the 1950s. The loss of jobs resulted in a steadily declining population and depressed economy. Harlan ranks as one of the U.S. counties with the highest prevalence of poverty.

Kentucky's highest natural point, Black Mountain (4,145 feet (1,263 m)), is in Harlan County.