McCreary County, KY

County

Add Comparison

2023 Population

16,905

0.077% 1-year growth

US Senator

Mitch McConnell

Republican Party

US Senator

Rand Paul

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

38.7

1.28% 1-year decrease

2023 Poverty Rate

35.1%

4.43% 1-year increase

2023 Median Household Income

$37,355

6.73% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$77,000

9.73% 1-year decline

2023 Employed Population

4,859

0.451% 1-year decline

About

In 2023, McCreary County, KY had a population of 16.9k people with a median age of 38.7 and a median household income of $37,355. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of McCreary County, KY grew from 16,892 to 16,905, a 0.077% increase and its median household income grew from $35,000 to $37,355, a 6.73% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in McCreary County, KY are White (Non-Hispanic) (89%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (6.63%), Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) (1.83%), White (Hispanic) (1.13%), and Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) (0.568%).

None of the households in McCreary County, KY reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.8% of the residents in McCreary County, KY are U.S. citizens.

In 2023, the median property value in McCreary County, KY was $77,000, and the homeownership rate was 74.4%.

Most people in McCreary County, KY drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 31.7 minutes. The average car ownership in McCreary County, KY was 2 cars per household.

McCreary County, KY borders Laurel County, KY, Pulaski County, KY, Wayne County, KY, Whitley County, KY, Campbell County, TN, and Scott County, TN.

United States Kentucky

Population & Diversity

McCreary County, KY is home to a population of 16.9k people, from which 99.8% are citizens. As of 2023, 0.497% of McCreary County, KY residents were born outside of the country (84 people).

In 2023, there were 13.4 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (15k people) in McCreary County, KY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.12k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 310 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.8%

2023 Citizenship

99.7%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 99.8% of McCreary County, KY residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in McCreary County, KY was 99.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in McCreary County, KY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in McCreary County, KY

White (Non-Hispanic)
15k ± 101
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.12k ± 121
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
310 ± 108

1.75%

Hispanic Population

296 people

1.75% of the people in McCreary County, KY are hispanic (296 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in McCreary County, KY as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Kentucky.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
34,091 ± 4,516 people
Cuba
20,475 ± 3,505 people
India
12,629 ± 2,755 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Kentucky was Mexico, the natal country of 34,091 Kentucky residents, followed by Cuba with 20,475 and India with 12,629.

Foreign-Born Population

0.497%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

84 people

0.716%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

121 people

As of 2023, 0.497% of McCreary County, KY residents (84 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in McCreary County, KY was 0.716%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in McCreary County, KY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
303 ± 129
Gulf War (1990s)
96 ± 47
Gulf War (2001-)
85 ± 48

McCreary County, KY has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.16 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of McCreary County, KY employs 4.86k people. In 2023, the largest industries in McCreary County, KY were Manufacturing (982 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (970 people), and Retail Trade (521 people), and the highest paying industries were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($59,330), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($58,403), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting ($58,393).

Employment

Occupations

4.86k

2023 Value

± 547

−0.451%

1 Year decline

± 16.8%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in McCreary County, KY declined at a rate of −0.451%, from 4.88k employees to 4.86k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in McCreary County, KY, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (683 people), Production Occupations (616 people), and Management Occupations (513 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of McCreary County, KY.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Kentucky.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Kentucky (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

4.86k

2023 Value

± 547

−0.451%

1 Year decline

± 16.8%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in McCreary County, KY declined at a rate of −0.451%, from 4.88k employees to 4.86k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in McCreary County, KY, are Manufacturing (982 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (970 people), and Retail Trade (521 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of McCreary County, KY, though some of these residents may live in McCreary County, KY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$38,104

Median earning men ± $3,026

$27,667

Median earning women ± $4,968

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($59,732), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($59,097), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($57,031).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Public Administration ($31,000), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($29,712), and Manufacturing ($29,583).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Kentucky.

Y-Axis

2.51%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.98M people employed in Kentucky. This represents a 2.51% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 14.4%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Kentucky.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

22
Retail Trade
14
Retail Trade
10
Other Services (except Public Administration)

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$15.1k
Manufacturing
$10.7k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$10k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Kentucky went to Donald J. Trump with 64.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (33.9%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.808%).

Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul are the senators currently representing the state of Kentucky. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Kentucky is currently represented by 6 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for McCreary County, KY. Showing the available data for Kentucky.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (64.5%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (33.9%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (0.808%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Kentucky went to Donald J. Trump with 64.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (33.9%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.808%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Kentucky for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Kentucky

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Kentucky.

Mitch McConnell

Senator from Kentucky

Assumed office on January 3, 1985

Rand Paul

Senator from Kentucky

Assumed office on January 3, 2011

Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul are the senators currently representing Kentucky.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Kentucky over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Kentucky

Kentucky is currently represented by 6 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Kentucky have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

Completions

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Kentucky.

Measure

In 2023, 0.875% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.806% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Kentucky.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2023 were High School or Equivalent (1.17M), Some college (753k), and Secondary Education (541k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in McCreary County, KY was $77,000 in 2023, which is 0.254 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $85,300 to $77,000, a 9.73% decrease. The homeownership rate in McCreary County, KY is 74.4%, which is higher than the national average of 65%.

People in McCreary County, KY have an average commute time of 31.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in McCreary County, KY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2024, 14% of the population was living with severe housing problems in McCreary County, KY. From 2014 to 2024, the indicator declined 4.01%.

Housing

Property

$77,000

Median Property Value 2023

±$15,269

$4,164

Median Property Taxes

±$485

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In McCreary County, KY the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in McCreary County, KY compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

74.4%

Homeownership

2023

62.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 74.4% of the housing units in McCreary County, KY were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 70%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in McCreary County, KY compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 9602, McCreary County, KY
Census Tract 9601, McCreary County, KY

The following map shows all of the tracts in McCreary County, KY colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$37,355

Median Household Income

± $6,787

5.6k

Number of Households

± 573

In 2023, the median household income of the 5.6k households in McCreary County, KY grew to $37,355 from the previous year's value of $35,000.

The following chart displays the households in McCreary County, KY distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for McCreary County, KY is from Kentucky.

0.449

2023 Wage GINI in Kentucky

0.452

2022 Wage GINI in Kentucky

In 2023, the income inequality in Kentucky was 0.449 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.729% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Kentucky was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Kentucky in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Kentucky across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (78.6%)
Carpooled (11.6%)
Worked At Home (7.58%)

In 2023, 78.6% of workers in McCreary County, KY drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.6%) and those who worked at home (7.58%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

31.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in McCreary County, KY have a longer commute time (31.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 3.19% of the workforce in McCreary County, KY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in McCreary County, KY compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in McCreary County, KY distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in McCreary County, KY have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2024, 14% of the population was living with severe housing problems in McCreary County, KY. From 2014 to 2024, the indicator declined 4.01%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

35.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in McCreary County, KY (5.36k out of 15.2k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 55 - 64, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 45 - 54.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in McCreary County, KY is White, followed by Black and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2024, 43% of the children was living in poverty in McCreary County, KY. From 2014 to 2024, the indicator declined 8.2%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 36.4 in McCreary County, KY. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 22.7 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

91.7% of the population of McCreary County, KY has health coverage, with 25.4% on employee plans, 43.9% on Medicaid, 10.5% on Medicare, 9.67% on non-group plans, and 2.18% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in McCreary County, KY see 16,892 patients per year on average, which represents a 97.9% increase from the previous year (8,536 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 8350 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 835 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

16,892 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in McCreary County, KY

Primary care physicians in McCreary County, KY see an average of 16,892 patients per year. This represents a 97.9% increase from the previous year (8,536 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in McCreary County, KY in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.5% under 18 years, 19% between 18 and 34 years, 38.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 17.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

8.34%

Uninsured

25.4%

Employer Coverage

43.9%

Medicaid

10.5%

Medicare

9.67%

Non-Group

2.18%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in McCreary County, KY grew by 64.1% from 5.08% to 8.34%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in McCreary County, KY changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2021, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 66.2 in McCreary County, KY.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in McCreary County, KY.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2024, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 44.4% in McCreary County, KY.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in McCreary County, KY.