Central City, KY
Census place 2113978 · pop 5,707
Sales & income are statewide.
The breakdown — worst first
U.S. median 24.3% · worse than most cities
5.7% have a bachelor's degree or higher · Share of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
U.S. median 3.6% · worse than most cities
5.7% unemployment · Share of the labor force out of work. Published by county, not city — every city in the county shares this figure.
U.S. median 12.1% · worse than most cities
25.6% live in poverty · Share of residents living below the federal poverty line.
U.S. median $67,857 · worse than most cities
$50,885 median household income · Median household income — a proxy for local economic health.
U.S. median +2.4% · worse than most cities
-1.7% population change (5yr) · 5-year population change — are people moving in, or fleeing?
U.S. median 90.0% · worse than most cities
87.9% of homes have broadband · Share of households with a broadband internet subscription.
U.S. median 67.2% · worse than most cities
59.4% own their home · Share of occupied homes that are owner-occupied.
U.S. median 24 min · worse than most cities
24 min average one-way commute · Average one-way commute to work, in minutes.
U.S. median 0.43 · worse than most cities
Gini 0.44 (0 = equal, 1 = unequal) · Gini index of household income (0 = equal, 1 = unequal).
U.S. median 964/100k · better than most cities
1033 property crimes per 100k · Burglary, theft, motor-vehicle theft and arson per 100,000 residents.
U.S. median 152/100k · better than most cities
86 violent crimes per 100k · Violent crimes (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) per 100,000 residents.
U.S. median 0.99% · better than most cities
0.67% of home value paid in property tax · Median real-estate taxes paid as a share of home value.
U.S. median $214,900 · better than most cities
$143,600 median home value · Median home value — how expensive it is to buy in. Higher = less affordable.
U.S. median 77/100 · better than most cities
51/100 FEMA risk (higher = riskier) · FEMA National Risk Index — wildfire, flood, earthquake, heat and more. Published by county, not city — every city in the county shares this figure.
Not measured for Central City: Air, Obesity, Mental, Inactive, Smoking, Uninsured, Bad air, Rent. Not every public source covers every city — EPA air monitors and Zillow rent only reach some places, and national crime data is still being added.
Frequently asked
- Is Central City, KY a good place to live?
- By the numbers, Central City scores 45/100 — a D− (Rough) on Shcity, which ranks U.S. cities on public data across 14 metrics like crime, cost, jobs and health. Its strongest area is natural disaster risk and its weakest is bachelor's degree or higher. Kentucky overall ranks #22 of 50 states. Whether it's "good" depends on what you value — re-weight the factors to score it your way.
- How safe is Central City, KY?
- Central City reports 86 violent crimes per 100k and 1033 property crimes per 100k — better than most U.S. cities on violent crime.
- Is Central City, KY expensive to live in?
- Central City has a median home value of $143,600 — more affordable than most U.S. cities.
- What's the biggest downside of living in Central City, KY?
- Its weakest measured area is bachelor's degree or higher (5.7%) — 0/100, worse than most U.S. cities.
- What is Central City, KY best at?
- Its strongest measured area is natural disaster risk (51/100) — 88/100, better than most U.S. cities. (A county-level figure.)
Sources: U.S. Census (ACS), CDC PLACES, FBI Crime Data Explorer, BLS, EPA AirData, FEMA National Risk Index, and Zillow.