Ashland is a city located in Boyd County, Kentucky, USA, nestled along the banks of the Ohio River. The population was 21,981 at the 2000 census. Ashland is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 288,649. Ashland is the second largest city within the MSA, after Huntington. Ashland serves as an important economic and medical center for northeast Kentucky.

As of the census of 2000, there were 21,981 people, 9,675 households, and 6,192 families residing in the city. The population density was 766.0/km² (1,984.4/mi²). There were 10,763 housing units at an average density of 375.1/km² (971.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.84% White, 2.30% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 31.6 km² (12.2 mi²). 28.7 km² (11.1 mi²) of it is land and 2.9 km² (1.1 mi²) of it (9.18%) is water.