Elevation of Frankfort
504ft
above sea level · 154 m
Frankfort is the capital of Kentucky. Of the 50 state capitals, it’s the 25th lowest. The state’s largest city is Louisville.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 38.20° N · 84.87° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 38° 12′ 3″ N · 84° 52′ 24″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 16S · 686,220 E · 4,230,244 N
- Zone 16 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- UTC−5 · UTC−4 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 28,657 people
- 14.8 sq mi of land · 1,940 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from February 2019: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Frankfort had 28,657 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, about the same as in April 2020 (28,607). Its 14.8 sq mi of land work out to 1,940 people/sq mi; the state average is 117 people/sq mi.
It’s the 14th most populous of the 554 places the Census counts in Kentucky (cities, towns and CDPs), after Louisville (641,962), and holds 0.6% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Franklin County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 0.6 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with other state capitals
Frankfort sits at 504 ft (154 m) above sea level. Of the 50 state capitals, the highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft). The average is 1,098 ft: Frankfort is 594 ft below it.
Of the 3 cities in Kentucky with a page, Frankfort is the 2nd highest. The others are Lexington (968 ft) and Louisville (461 ft).
The highest point in Kentucky is Black Mountain, at 4,145 ft according to the USGS: 3,641 ft above Frankfort, 140 mi away in a straight line.
- 26 Frankfort 504 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest cities with a page
Tools for this place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Frankfort.
What is the elevation of Frankfort?
Frankfort is 504 feet (154 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Frankfort?
Latitude 38.20091 and longitude -84.87328, in decimal degrees (38° 12′ 3″ N · 84° 52′ 24″ W). In UTM, zone 16: 686,220 E and 4,230,244 N, on NAD83.
How does Frankfort rank among the highest state capitals?
It’s the 25th lowest of the 50 state capitals. The highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft).
What county is Frankfort in?
Franklin County, Kentucky.
Which is higher, Frankfort or Lexington?
Lexington. Frankfort sits at 504 ft and Lexington at 968 ft: a difference of 464 ft, 26 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know