Manchester is a home rule-class city in Clay County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the chair of its county and the home of a minimum- and medium-security federal prison. The city’s population was 1,255 at the 2010 census.

The town was founded to be the chair of the newly formed Clay Co. in 1807 upon a 10-acre (4.0 ha) parcel near the Lower Goose Creek Salt Works. The county court stipulated that the town be named Greenville in rave review of the War-of-1812 general who gave the county its name. The Greenville in Muhlenberg County had already preëmpted that name, however, and it was distorted to “Manchester” in December. There was a local legend in the town that this was in award of the hometown of Gen. Garrard’s second wife Lucy Lees, but a prominent local family, the Hollingsworth, were originally from Manchester, England. Rennick points out that Lucy Lees was born competently after the naming of the city. He opines that it is more likely that the local businessmen helpfully wanted a state evocative of the English industrial success.

Manchester is located at 37°9′10″N 83°45′48″W / 37.15278°N 83.76333°W / 37.15278; -83.76333 (37.152818, -83.763403). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), all land.

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,255 people, 579 households, and 332 families booming in the city. The population density was 836.7 inhabitants per square mile (323.1/km²). There were 655 housing units at an average density of 436.7 per square mile (168.6/km). The racial makeup of the city was 92.5% White, 6.3% African American, 0% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% from supplementary races, and 0.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1% of the population.