McCracken County, KY

County

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2024 Population

67,564

US Senator

Mitch McConnell

Republican Party

US Senator

Rand Paul

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

42.3

0.236% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

15.2%

1.1% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$64,373

3.19% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$188,100

2.84% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

30,951

1.84% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in McCracken 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.

The largest universities in McCracken County, KY are West Kentucky Community and Technical College (2,512 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in McCracken County, KY was $188,100, and the homeownership rate was 68.9%.

Most people in McCracken County, KY drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 17.6 minutes. The average car ownership in McCracken County, KY was 2 cars per household.

McCracken County, KY borders Massac County, IL, Pulaski County, IL, Ballard County, KY, Carlisle County, KY, Graves County, KY, Livingston County, KY, and Marshall County, KY.

United States Kentucky Paducah, KY-IL

Population & Diversity

In 2024, there were 8.32 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (54.8k people) in McCracken County, KY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 6.59k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 2.39k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in McCracken County, KY

White (Non-Hispanic)
54.8k ± 245
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
6.59k ± 444
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
2.39k ± 457

3.42%

Hispanic Population

2.31k people

3.42% of the people in McCracken County, KY are hispanic (2.31k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in McCracken 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

2.1%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.42k people

1.87%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.26k people

As of 2024, 2.1% of McCracken County, KY residents (1.42k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in McCracken County, KY was 1.87%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,430 ± 274
Gulf War (2001-)
702 ± 203
Gulf War (1990s)
667 ± 178

McCracken County, KY has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.04 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in McCracken County, KY.

Economy

The economy of McCracken County, KY employs 31k people. In 2024, the largest industries in McCracken County, KY were Health Care & Social Assistance (5,116 people), Retail Trade (4,312 people), and Manufacturing (2,959 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($95,000), Utilities ($80,030), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($72,552).

Employment

Occupations

31k

2024 Value

± 1,448

1.84%

1 Year growth

± 6.46%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in McCracken County, KY grew at a rate of 1.84%, from 30.4k employees to 31k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in McCracken County, KY, are Sales & Related Occupations (3,411 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (3,217 people), and Management Occupations (2,817 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of McCracken 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

31k

2024 Value

± 1,448

1.84%

1 Year growth

± 6.46%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in McCracken County, KY grew at a rate of 1.84%, from 30.4k employees to 31k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in McCracken County, KY, are Health Care & Social Assistance (5,116 people), Retail Trade (4,312 people), and Manufacturing (2,959 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of McCracken County, KY, though some of these residents may live in McCracken County, KY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$56,452

Median earning men ± $3,981

$33,863

Median earning women ± $2,293

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($86,465), Wholesale Trade ($81,328), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($75,673).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($66,563), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($58,533), and Manufacturing ($56,835).

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

127
Retail Trade
121
Other Services (except Public Administration)
108
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

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

$395k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$262k
Transportation and Warehousing
$176k
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 McCracken 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.

Education

In 2023, universities in McCracken County, KY awarded 2,512 degrees. The student population of McCracken County, KY in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 2,203 male students and 2,929 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in McCracken County, KY are White (2,059 and 82%), Black or African American (193 and 7.69%), Hispanic or Latino (148 and 5.89%), and Two or More Races (72 and 2.87%).

The largest universities in McCracken County, KY by number of degrees awarded are West Kentucky Community and Technical College (2,512 and 100%).

The most popular majors in McCracken County, KY are Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training (323 and 12.9%), Welding Technology (268 and 10.7%), and Liberal Arts & Sciences (266 and 10.6%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 5,132 students enrolled in McCracken County, KY, 42.9% men and 57.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 3,962 records, of which 58.2% were women and 41.8% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
225 degrees awarded
Welding Technology
99 degrees awarded
Electrician
93 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years recipients in McCracken County, KY was General Business Administration & Management with 225 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years from schools in McCracken County, KY according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

West Kentucky Community and Technical College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

2,512 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was West Kentucky Community and Technical College with 2,512 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 1,133 men were awarded degrees from institutions in McCracken County, KY, which is 0.822 times less than the 1,379 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 2,059 degrees mean that there were 10.7 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 193 degrees awarded.

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.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($4,464) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($192) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,152) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in McCracken County, KY was $188,100 in 2024, which is 0.565 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $182,900 to $188,100, a 2.84% increase. The homeownership rate in McCracken County, KY is 68.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in McCracken County, KY have an average commute time of 17.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in McCracken County, KY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 13.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in McCracken County, KY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.258%.

Housing

Property

$188,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,553

$19,024

Median Property Taxes

±$1,037

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 McCracken County, KY the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

68.9%

Homeownership

2024

66.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 68.9% of the housing units in McCracken County, KY were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 67.4%.

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

Equity

Household Income

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

$64,373

Median Household Income

± $2,581

27.6k

Number of Households

± 1,287

In 2024, the median household income of the 27.6k households in McCracken County, KY grew to $64,373 from the previous year's value of $62,385.

The following chart displays the households in McCracken 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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for McCracken 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 2024

Drove Alone (81.7%)
Worked At Home (8.26%)
Carpooled (5.97%)

In 2024, 81.7% of workers in McCracken County, KY drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (8.26%) and those who carpooled to work (5.97%).

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

17.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in McCracken County, KY have a shorter commute time (17.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.21% of the workforce in McCracken County, KY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in McCracken 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 McCracken County, KY distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in McCracken County, KY have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 13.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in McCracken County, KY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.258%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

15.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in McCracken County, KY (10.1k out of 66.3k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 45 - 54.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in McCracken 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 2025, 21.2% of the children was living in poverty in McCracken County, KY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5.4%.

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 233 in McCracken County, KY. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 0.938 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

94.1% of the population of McCracken County, KY has health coverage, with 41.9% on employee plans, 24.1% on Medicaid, 15.5% on Medicare, 11% on non-group plans, and 1.57% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in McCracken County, KY see 992 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (992 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1071 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 312 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.4% were men and 51.6% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

992 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in McCracken County, KY

Primary care physicians in McCracken County, KY see an average of 992 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (992 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.2% under 18 years, 18.5% between 18 and 34 years, 38.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.4% were men and 51.6% were women.

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

Uninsured People

5.93%

Uninsured

41.9%

Employer Coverage

24.1%

Medicaid

15.5%

Medicare

11%

Non-Group

1.57%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in McCracken County, KY grew by 6.73% from 5.56% to 5.93%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 61.2 in McCracken County, KY.

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

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, 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 41.6% in McCracken County, KY.

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