Elevation of Lexington
968ft
above sea level · 295 m
Lexington is a city in Kentucky with 329,751 people, the 2nd most populous in the state. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the 22nd highest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 37.99° N · 84.48° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 37° 59′ 19″ N · 84° 28′ 40″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 16S · 721,501 E · 4,207,562 N
- Zone 16 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- UTC−5 · UTC−4 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 329,751 people
- 284 sq mi of land · 1,162 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from February 2019: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Lexington had 329,751 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 2.2% more than in April 2020, when it had 322,563. Its 284 sq mi of land work out to 1,162 people/sq mi; the state average is 117 people/sq mi.
It’s the 2nd most populous of the 554 places the Census counts in Kentucky (cities, towns and CDPs), after Louisville (641,962), and holds 7.2% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Fayette County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 3.7 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with other big cities
Lexington sits at 968 ft (295 m) above sea level. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, the highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft). The average is 858 ft: Lexington is 110 ft above it.
The state capital, Frankfort, is 26 mi away in a straight line and 464 ft lower than Lexington.
Of the 3 cities in Kentucky with a page, Lexington is the highest. The others are Frankfort (504 ft) and Louisville (461 ft).
The highest point in Kentucky is Black Mountain, at 4,145 ft according to the USGS: 3,177 ft above Lexington, 114 mi away in a straight line.
- 22 Lexington 968 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 Lexington.
What is the elevation of Lexington?
Lexington is 968 feet (295 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 Lexington?
Latitude 37.98869 and longitude -84.47772, in decimal degrees (37° 59′ 19″ N · 84° 28′ 40″ W). In UTM, zone 16: 721,501 E and 4,207,562 N, on NAD83.
How does Lexington rank among the highest big cities?
It’s the 22nd highest of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people. The highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft).
What county is Lexington in?
Fayette County, Kentucky.
Which is higher, Lexington or Frankfort?
Lexington. Lexington sits at 968 ft and Frankfort at 504 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