county

McCreary County, KY

Demographic and economic profile of McCreary County, KY, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

McCreary County is a small rural Kentucky county of 16,905 residents with an economy reflected in a GDP per capita of $15,468 and median household income of $33,750, well below state and national norms. The available labor force is narrow—participation stands at just 36.8%—and educational attainment is low, with only 9.1% holding a bachelor's degree, though the official unemployment rate is 2.3% and median worker earnings reach $29,279. Housing costs are among the lowest measurable, with a median home value of $77,000 and median gross rent of $588/month, set against a poverty rate of 35.1% and a population that has contracted 4.1% over five years.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

16,905

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$33,750

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

39.0 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-4.1% since 2018

McCreary County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone15,183 (90.0%)
  • Black or African American Alone1,069 (6.3%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races325 (1.9%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race168 (1.0%)
  • Some Other Race Alone75 (0.4%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone25 (0.1%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish203
  2. 2.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)9
  3. 3.Russian, Polish, or other Slavic9
  4. 4.Arabic1

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

21.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

62.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

16.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

0.9%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

785

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$15,468

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$16,972

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

2.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

35.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance1,417
  2. 2.Manufacturing (Group)855
  3. 3.Retail Trade (Group)526
  4. 4.Public Administration (Group)390
  5. 5.Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities320

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations1,393
  2. 2.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations1,034
  3. 3.Service Occupations986
  4. 4.Sales & Office Occupations843
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations343

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 2.05×)159
  2. 2.Manufacturing (LQ 2.03×)982
  3. 3.Transportation, Warehousing, & Utilities (LQ 1.33×)378
  4. 4.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.28×)1,451
  5. 5.Information (LQ 1.25×)114

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$77,000

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$588/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

74.2%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $100,000 to $124,999619 (14.2%)
  • Less Than $10,000338 (7.8%)
  • $60,000 to $69,999334 (7.7%)
  • $150,000 to $174,999328 (7.5%)
  • $90,000 to $99,999296 (6.8%)
  • $20,000 to $24,999278 (6.4%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

9.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

77.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

36.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$29,279

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

32.3 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

11.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone3,489 (77.9%)
  • Carpooled476 (10.6%)
  • Worked At Home411 (9.2%)
  • Other74 (1.7%)
  • Bicycle22 (0.5%)
  • Walked5 (0.1%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.