Bell County, Kentucky
Population 23,509 · Middlesborough, Pineville
- Overall cost of living: −14.7% vs the US average, lower than 82% of US counties.
- Median household income: $31,354, lower than 99% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−14.7% | lower than 82% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Kentucky outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $89,000 | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Median rent | $592 | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $159/mo | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $4,848/yr | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.81% | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6% | higher than 46% of US counties |
| State income tax | 4.5% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $723 | lower than 89% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $31,354 | lower than 99% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 6.2% | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -0.2% | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 276 | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈194 days | lower than 74% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 86°F | lower than 57% of US counties |
| January low | 26°F | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈10 in | lower than 53% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Blackmont, KY, 13 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | ≈29 days | lower than 55% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Barbourville, KY, 17 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | ≈110 days | higher than 50% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Barbourville, KY, 17 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Severe drought | 4.9% of weeks | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈64.4°F | higher than 56% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 54.1 in | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $406/yr | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $384/yr | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.37/yr | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $6.5/yr | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $4.9/yr | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $3.2/yr | higher than 72% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 7.4 µg/m³ | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 323.4 mi | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈1,790.3 ft | higher than 83% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 79.9% | lower than 94% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 15.8% | lower than 83% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 6.2% | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 4 | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 14.1:1 | higher than 54% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 88.5% | lower than 54% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 6.82 | lower than 80% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.05 | higher than 62% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.73 | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 1.2 | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 51/100k | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 5 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 1.3★ | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 66.4 yrs | lower than 99% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 7.4% | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 78/100k | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 69/100k | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 88.8% | higher than 88% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 98 min | higher than 92% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 138 min | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 23 min | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 79.3% | lower than 89% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.3% | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 4.4% | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 138 min | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 21 per sq mi | lower than 51% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.7 per 1k | lower than 57% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 14.5 per 1k | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Population | 23,509 | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Median age | 41.7 | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -0.8 per 1k/yr | lower than 67% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 15.2% Dem | lower than 88% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 83.9% Rep | higher than 89% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 0.9% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| % White | 92.6% | higher than 87% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 0.5% | lower than 98% of US counties |
| % Black | 3% | higher than 56% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.3% | lower than 70% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 3.2% | lower than 58% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.3% | higher than 46% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 55 parks | higher than 51% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 20.4 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 3.4 | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 58 min | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.6% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 7 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 46 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 90 km | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 7 km | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 7 | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 34 | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 13 | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 7 km | lower than 52% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data