Kentucky maps: printable and free
5 free maps of Kentucky: high-resolution PNG (300 dpi) and PDF for US Letter or A4.
PDF = US Letter; A4 for other countries. Tap a map to view it full size. Free for personal, school and commercial use.
Data updated · By Ankit Kumar, compiled from public U.S. government and open datasets · How these numbers are made
1. Kentucky blank outline map
The state border only, with a scale bar. Good for labeling, coloring and tracing.
View full size2. Kentucky county map
All 120 counties, outlined without names.
View full size3. Kentucky labeled county map
The same 120 counties, each named. Names that don't fit inside a small area sit just outside, joined by a short line.
View full size4. Kentucky map with major cities
23 cities, chosen by 2024 Census population and spaced so no labels overlap. The capital is marked with a star.
View full size5. Kentucky elevation map
USGS 3DEP elevation as color plus hillshade. Legend in feet with meters underneath; triangles mark the high and low points, a star the capital.
View full sizeKentucky: shape, counties and terrain
Kentucky spans about 415 miles from east to west and 183 miles from north to south, with 39,485 square miles of land. Its outline is irregular: the state fills only 53% of the box drawn around it on the map. The Census boundary file draws it as 2 separate land areas, only one of them larger than 100 square miles.
Kentucky has 120 counties. The largest by land area is Pike County (786 sq mi) and the smallest is Gallatin County (98 sq mi). The capital, Frankfort, sits at 504 ft downtown (USGS).
Elevation runs from 257 ft (78 m) on the Mississippi River to 4,145 ft (1,263 m) at Black Mountain in Harlan County, a range of 3,888 ft. The sampled average is about 810 ft.
On the relief map's elevation grid, under 1% of the state lies below 0 ft, 98% between 0 and 2,000 ft and 2% between 2,000 and 4,000 ft and under 1% above 4,000 ft. Split from west to east into thirds, the western third averages 461 ft, the central third 772 ft and the eastern third 1,132 ft, so the land is highest in the eastern third and lowest in the western third.
More figures, with sources: Kentucky elevation: highest, lowest and average points.
How teachers and students can use these maps
- Blank map: label Frankfort, the capital, and the largest cities, then check them against the cities map. Older students can draw in rivers or mountain ranges from an atlas.
- County map: find your own county among the 120. The labeled version works as an answer key; the blank one as a quiz.
- Cities map: Frankfort to Paducah is about 221 miles in a straight line. Measure it with the scale bar and see how close you get.
- Elevation map: find Black Mountain (4,145 ft) and the Mississippi River (257 ft), and work out the difference: 3,888 ft. Then use the legend to estimate the elevation of your town and check it with our elevation tool.
- Printing: each map has a US Letter PDF and an A4 PDF. The PDFs are vector files, so lines and labels stay sharp at any size. The outline maps use very little ink in black and white.
License: free to use
These maps are free for personal, school and commercial use. Print them, copy them, change them, and use them in worksheets, slides, books, apps or websites. No permission or fee is needed. A credit is appreciated: Map: MyCurrentElevation.org.
The data behind them (US Census Bureau boundaries and population, USGS elevation) is in the public domain. Inter, the typeface on the maps, is licensed under the SIL Open Font License.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Cartographic Boundary Files (states, counties; 1:500,000) — state and county borders, county land areas, map extents
- USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) elevation service — elevation colors and shading on the relief map, and the elevation shares quoted above
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 Population Estimates (cities and towns) — which cities are largest
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files (place locations) — city locations
- USGS, Elevations and Distances in the United States (highest and lowest elevations) — Black Mountain elevation (highest point)
- USGS, Elevations and Distances in the United States (highest and lowest elevations) — lowest point
- USGS 3DEP via the Elevation Point Query Service — sampled average elevation and the capital's downtown elevation
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb, Counties layer — number and type of county-level areas
How each number is produced: methodology and data sources.
Other states and the US map: all printable maps · Kentucky elevation
Data updated · By Ankit Kumar, compiled from public U.S. government and open datasets · How these numbers are made