Caldwell County, Kentucky
Population 12,618 · Princeton, Fredonia, Dawson Springs
- Overall cost of living: −14.7% vs the US average, lower than 82% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- On-time high school graduation: 97.5%, higher than 96% of US counties.
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 | $118,500 | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Median rent | $767 | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $160/mo | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $5,932/yr | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.54% | lower than 79% 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 | $643 | lower than 92% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $59,583 | lower than 67% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.2% | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +7.2% | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 281.5 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈204 days | lower than 62% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 89°F | higher than 58% of US counties |
| January low | 27°F | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 8 in | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 49 days | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 78 days | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 4.1% of weeks | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈67.9°F | higher than 78% 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 | 50.9 in | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $202/yr | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $95/yr | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.14/yr | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $50/yr | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $17/yr | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.04/yr | lower than 84% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 8.5 µg/m³ | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 304.6 mi | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈326.7 ft | lower than 64% 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 | 91.2% | higher than 58% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 17.1% | lower than 76% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 6.9% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 2 | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 16.7:1 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 97.5% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.54 | higher than 74% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.19 | higher than 70% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.11 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 4.5 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 32/100k | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 4 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 4★ | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 73.6 yrs | lower than 70% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 7.2% | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 103/100k | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 40/100k | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 57% | lower than 62% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 76 min | higher than 76% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 135 min | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 24 min | lower than 47% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 87% | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Work-from-home share | 4% | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 122 min | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 15 per sq mi | lower than 61% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.9 per 1k | lower than 51% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 13.1 per 1k | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Population | 12,618 | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Median age | 42.4 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +1.8 per 1k/yr | lower than 52% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 20.3% Dem | lower than 73% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 78.5% Rep | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.2% | lower than 51% of US counties |
| % White | 89.7% | higher than 74% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 1.5% | lower than 91% of US counties |
| % Black | 6% | higher than 68% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 2.5% | lower than 77% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.3% | higher than 46% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 21 parks | lower than 67% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 20.6 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 2.4 | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 88 min | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 1% | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 12 | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 11 | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 215 km | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 3 | lower than 68% 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 | 11 | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 9 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 5 | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
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