2020 census As of the
2020 census, Ashland had a population of 21,625. The median age was 40.6 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 83.8 males age 18 and over. There were 9,202 households in Ashland, of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 38.3% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 10,425 housing units, of which 11.7% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.6%.
2000 census There were 9,675 households, out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were
married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.82. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $45,414. Males had a median income of $35,362 versus $23,994 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $26,101. About 23% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 28.3% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over. ==Economy==