Official Federal Data
McCreary County, Kentucky
FIPS 21147 · Population 16,867
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$33,750 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
5.9% ▼
Unemployment
4% national
$349M ▲
GDP
8.5% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 16,867 residents. These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates, which carry a wide margin of error for places under 20,000 people. Read each value as an approximate range, and treat year-over-year changes as indicative rather than exact. A small shift can reflect survey sampling, not a real change on the ground.
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$33,750 ▲
Per Capita
$17,150 ▲
Mean Household
$46,528 ▲
Poverty Rate
38.9% ▲approx.
Median Income Comparison
McCreary County$33,750
Kentucky$63,726
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 21.8%
18-34 · 21.4%
35-54 · 27.8%
55-64 · 12.9%
65+ · 16.2%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
77.4%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▼ 12.2 pts
8.5%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 27.2 pts
3.5%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 10.6 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
16,867
Population
4,799
Labor Force
Employed
4,599
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
5.9% ▼ 0.1 pts YoY
Mean Commute 6 min above national avg
32.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
9.2%
Key Takeaways
- Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the national median, which directly affects retail demand, housing absorption, and tax base.
- Elevated poverty: At 38.9%, the rate is in economically distressed territory and supports federal funding narratives (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 27.2 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Manufacturing employs 332 workers (32.5% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $46,501.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $349M (2024).
- Wage stratification: Administrative and Support and Waste Management averages $52,969 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $16,289, a 3.3x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Health Care & Social Assistance Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
220
Cluster Employment
2.44x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Social Assistance
2.44x 220
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Social Assistance concentrates at 2.44x the national norm.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$85,300 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$577 ▲
Rent/Mo
74.2% ▲
Owner-Occ
15.3% ▼
Vacancy
2.5x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$619/mo
1 Bedroom
$790/mo
2 Bedroom
$866/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,069/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,209/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$844/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.5x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- High home ownership: 74.2% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Elevated vacancy: 15.3% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
- Affordable rent tiers: 2 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$844/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
10,458 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 6 min above national avg
32.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
9.2%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
47.5%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
8.5% ▲
HS Diploma+
77.4% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
35,189/yr
8,890/yr
6,956/yr
5,751/yr
5,011/yr
4,485/yr
4,096/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
20.7%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
30.3%
Service
21.4%
Sales & Office
18.3%
Construction / Maint.
7.5%
Production / Transport
22.5%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 4,599 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Low participation: 36.4% labor force participation suggests untapped capacity; workforce development programs may unlock supply.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 21,597 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
McCreary County shows emerging potential for social assistance attraction, with a 2.44x concentration and 220 jobs in this sub-sector.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for McCreary County, Kentucky, from federal data sources.
What is the population of McCreary County, Kentucky?
16,867 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in McCreary County, Kentucky?
$33,750 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in McCreary County, Kentucky?
5.9% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of McCreary County, Kentucky?
$349M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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