Murray, KY

Census Place

2024 Population

18,080

US Senator

Mitch McConnell

Republican Party

US Senator

Rand Paul

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

25.8

0.389% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

24.1%

3.03% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$44,091

9.28% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$195,000

0.879% 1-year growth

Population & Diversity

Murray, KY is home to a population of 18.1k people, from which 96.8% are citizens.

As of 2024, 5.28% of Murray, KY residents were born outside of the country (954 people).

In 2024, there were 11.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (14.7k people) in Murray, KY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.25k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 647 Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.8%

2024 Citizenship

97.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.8% of Murray, KY residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Murray, KY was 97.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Murray, KY

White (Non-Hispanic)
14.7k ± 308
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.25k ± 244
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
647 ± 122

3.37%

Hispanic Population

609 people

3.37% of the people in Murray, KY are hispanic (609 people).

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

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
34,417 ± 4,537 people
Cuba
21,613 ± 3,601 people
India
11,987 ± 2,684 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Kentucky was Mexico, the natal country of 34,417 Kentucky residents, followed by Cuba with 21,613 and India with 11,987.

Foreign-Born Population

5.28%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

954 people

4.51%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

806 people

As of 2024, 5.28% of Murray, KY residents (954 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 Murray, KY was 4.51%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
104 ± 51
Gulf War (1990s)
103 ± 70
Gulf War (2001-)
99 ± 56

Murray, KY has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.01 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Murray, KY employs 8.27k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Murray, KY were Educational Services (1,561 people), Retail Trade (1,193 people), and Manufacturing (836 people), and the highest paying industries were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($68,068), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting ($68,068), and Utilities ($67,105).

Employment

Occupations

8.27k

2024 Value

± 744

−0.541%

1 Year decline

± 12.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Murray, KY declined at a rate of −0.541%, from 8.32k employees to 8.27k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Murray, KY, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,331 people), Sales & Related Occupations (1,022 people), and Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (662 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Murray, 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

8.27k

2024 Value

± 744

−0.541%

1 Year decline

± 12.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Murray, KY declined at a rate of −0.541%, from 8.32k employees to 8.27k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Murray, KY, are Educational Services (1,561 people), Retail Trade (1,193 people), and Manufacturing (836 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Murray, KY, though some of these residents may live in Murray, KY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$37,836

Median earning men ± $4,678

$23,649

Median earning women ± $3,268

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($68,068), Information ($66,071), and Public Administration ($62,975).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($47,308), Public Administration ($44,056), and Wholesale Trade ($33,750).

Education

The student population of Murray, KY in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 3,698 male students and 6,322 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Murray, KY are White (1,820 and 84%), Black or African American (118 and 5.45%), Unknown (84 and 3.88%), and Hispanic or Latino (59 and 2.72%).

The largest universities in Murray, KY by number of degrees awarded are Murray State University (2,353 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Murray, KY are Other Agriculture, Operations, & Related Sciences (194 and 8.24%), General Business (175 and 7.44%), and General Studies (111 and 4.72%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $8,604 for in-state students and $18,540 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Murray, KY, the percentage of applicants admitted was 85.7%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 17.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 10,020 (36.9% men and 63.1% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 10,020 students enrolled in Murray, KY, 36.9% men and 63.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 7,468 records, of which 64% were women and 36% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Studies
111 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
104 degrees awarded
Other Agriculture, Operations, & Related Sciences
101 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Murray, KY was General Studies with 111 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Murray, KY according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Murray State University

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

2,353 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Murray State University with 2,353 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 814 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Murray, KY, which is 0.529 times less than the 1,539 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,820 degrees mean that there were 15.4 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 118 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

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($8,604) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,296) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($900) 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 Murray, KY was $195,000 in 2024, which is 0.586 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $193,300 to $195,000, a 0.879% increase. The homeownership rate in Murray, KY is 41.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Murray, KY have an average commute time of 12.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Murray, KY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$195,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$15,074

$2,834

Median Property Taxes

±$347

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

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

Rent vs Own

41.7%

Homeownership

2024

68.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 41.7% of the housing units in Murray, KY were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 41.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Murray, 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.

$44,091

Median Household Income

± $4,637

6.8k

Number of Households

± 610

In 2024, the median household income of the 6.8k households in Murray, KY grew to $44,091 from the previous year's value of $40,348.

The following chart displays the households in Murray, 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 Murray, KY is from Kentucky.

0.446

2024 Wage GINI in Kentucky

0.449

2023 Wage GINI in Kentucky

In 2024, the income inequality in Kentucky was 0.446 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.585% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Kentucky was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 (72.7%)
Walked (12.5%)
Carpooled (7.22%)

In 2024, 72.7% of workers in Murray, KY drove alone to work, followed by those who walked to work (12.5%) and those who carpooled to work (7.22%).

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

12.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Murray, KY have a shorter commute time (12.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.237% of the workforce in Murray, KY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

24.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Murray, KY (3.69k out of 15.3k 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 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Murray, KY is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

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

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

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