The 10 Worst Small Towns In Kentucky For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which teeny specks in KY are the pits.

Sam Sparkes, RoadSnacks
April 7, 2022 - 72,070 views
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Editor’s Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst small places to live in Kentucky.

Most Americans have never been to Kentucky. However, as the people who live there know, Kentucky is an awesome state.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Kentucky has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Bluegrass State. Don't shoot the messenger, this is all using data.

After analyzing more than 154 of Kentucky's smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Kentucky where you'd never want to live:

These are the worst small towns in Kentucky for 2022:

  1. Cave City
  2. Jenkins
  3. Cumberland
  4. Pine Knot
  5. Tompkinsville
  6. Brodhead
  7. McKee
  8. Prestonsburg
  9. Morgantown
  10. Clinton

So what is the worst small town to call home in Kentucky for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Cave City is the worst small town to live in Kentucky.

Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since Kentucky has its stuff figured out.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Kentucky or the worst places to live in Kentucky.

If you're looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Kentucky For 2022

1. Cave City

Cave City, KY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 2,573
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 12)
Median Home Value: $79,400 (36th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 23.2% (3rd worst)
More on Cave City:  Data | Photos

2. Jenkins

Jenkins, KY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,815
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $48,800 (4th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 18.5% (5th worst)
More on Jenkins:  Data | Photos

3. Cumberland

Cumberland, KY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 2,096
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 2)
Median Home Value: $53,800 (6th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 33.3% (worst)
More on Cumberland:  Data | Photos

4. Pine Knot

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,431
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 2)
Median Home Value: $97,000 (76th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 10.2% (26th worst)
More on Pine Knot:  Data

5. Tompkinsville

Tompkinsville, KY

Source: Wikipedia User Ichabod | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,748
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 2)
Median Home Value: $75,300 (26th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.4% (54th worst)
More on Tompkinsville:  Data | Photos

6. Brodhead

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,551
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 2)
Median Home Value: $87,900 (55th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 17.0% (8th worst)
More on Brodhead:  Data

7. Mckee

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,065
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $107,000 (84th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 8.1% (45th worst)
More on Mckee:  Data

8. Prestonsburg

Prestonsburg, KY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,537
Rank Last Year: 15 (Up 7)
Median Home Value: $123,100 (10worst)
Unemployment Rate: 15.7% (10th worst)
More on Prestonsburg:  Data | Photos

9. Morgantown

Morgantown, KY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,729
Rank Last Year: 17 (Up 8)
Median Home Value: $86,800 (52nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 13.1% (16th worst)
More on Morgantown:  Data | Photos

10. Clinton

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,296
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 2)
Median Home Value: $57,900 (8th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 14.5% (13th worst)
More on Clinton:  Data

How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?

In order to rank the worst small towns to live in Kentucky, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn't a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do and a stable economy.

So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.

How we determined the worst small towns to live in Kentucky for 2022

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data and the Census's 2016-2020 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (The lower the worse)
  • Highest Unemployment Rates
  • Low housing costs (meaning there's no demand)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
  • Education (Number of high school dropouts)
  • High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which, there were a lot - 154 to be exact.

Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.

There You Have It - The Worst Small Towns In Kentucky

If you're analyzing teeny places in the Bluegrass State with the worst economic situations, where there's high crime and there's not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

If you're curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Kentucky, according to science:

  1. Indian Hills (Pop. 3,011)
  2. Hurstbourne (Pop. 4,402)
  3. Audubon Park (Pop. 1,273)

For more Kentucky reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Kentucky

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Cave City 2,573 23.2% $79,400
2 Jenkins 1,815 18.5% $48,800
3 Cumberland 2,096 33.3% $53,800
4 Pine Knot 1,431 10.2% $97,000
5 Tompkinsville 2,748 7.4% $75,300
6 Brodhead 1,551 17.0% $87,900
7 Mckee 1,065 8.1% $107,000
8 Prestonsburg 3,537 15.7% $123,100
9 Morgantown 2,729 13.1% $86,800
10 Clinton 1,296 14.5% $57,900
11 Beattyville 1,481 6.2% $78,800
12 Whitley City 1,633 0.0% $61,200
13 Burkesville 1,905 5.3% $76,000
14 Manchester 2,195 10.0% $74,600
15 Guthrie 1,301 14.4% $108,700
16 Liberty 1,971 17.4% $83,800
17 Russell Springs 2,587 6.7% $94,200
18 Elkhorn City 1,085 7.5% $69,300
19 Breckinridge Center 1,961 16.0% $71,800
20 Dawson Springs 2,665 7.6% $61,700
21 Harlan 1,411 13.4% $88,700
22 Mount Vernon 2,191 7.6% $83,900
23 Elkton 2,065 10.3% $83,300
24 Fulton 2,405 3.1% $42,900
25 Munfordville 1,659 4.5% $75,800
26 Albany 2,469 6.3% $77,100
27 Edmonton 1,936 8.6% $78,100
28 Clarkson 1,468 4.5% $78,100
29 Salyersville 1,964 7.0% $103,300
30 Providence 3,006 5.9% $48,000
31 Hickman 2,005 4.3% $52,700
32 Pineville 1,902 15.0% $94,400
33 Irvine 2,669 9.9% $81,900
34 Livermore 1,116 4.5% $83,800
35 Greensburg 2,226 7.8% $90,400
36 Owingsville 2,142 6.1% $85,600
37 Catlettsburg 1,834 10.3% $66,700
38 Cloverport 1,041 8.2% $66,500
39 Mortons Gap 1,052 8.4% $67,100
40 Jamestown 2,242 4.9% $103,500
41 South Shore 1,287 28.1% $66,300
42 Lancaster 3,837 9.0% $89,800
43 Horse Cave 2,387 6.1% $73,200
44 Vanceburg 1,385 1.3% $62,800
45 Barbourville 3,051 12.4% $158,000
46 Clay 1,242 10.1% $62,700
47 Stanton 2,701 8.2% $112,500
48 Stanford 3,673 8.5% $110,000
49 Sebree 1,552 0.3% $76,200
50 Dry Ridge 2,125 4.1% $150,200
51 Dixon 1,178 11.5% $83,400
52 Earlington 1,043 5.2% $47,700
53 Lebanon Junction 2,276 13.1% $110,100
54 Cadiz 2,668 10.5% $110,100
55 Carlisle 2,443 8.5% $77,700
56 Flemingsburg 2,811 10.5% $86,000
57 Paintsville 4,032 17.7% $164,100
58 Falmouth 2,879 7.1% $80,900
59 Eminence 2,560 5.8% $120,500
60 Stearns 1,065 0.0% $60,100
61 North Corbin 1,842 14.9% $84,900
62 Carrollton 3,806 12.8% $124,700
63 Owenton 1,701 9.1% $87,800
64 Whitesburg 2,215 9.8% $117,100
65 Jackson 2,201 7.2% $85,800
66 West Point 1,098 7.1% $53,800
67 Scottsville 4,489 7.6% $96,900
68 Muldraugh 1,078 18.8% $65,500
69 Camargo 1,077 4.6% $84,400
70 Grayson 3,910 7.6% $124,700
71 Auburn 1,463 6.3% $96,300
72 Louisa 2,852 5.1% $125,000
73 Jeffersonville 1,927 7.0% $83,800
74 Greenup 1,233 9.6% $88,800
75 Farley 4,458 2.7% $66,400
76 Wurtland 1,452 3.8% $79,200
77 Columbia 4,748 10.2% $110,900
78 Irvington 1,336 7.8% $88,800
79 Marion 2,885 1.7% $79,800
80 Coal Run Village 1,319 3.1% $58,000
81 Hardinsburg 2,740 5.2% $92,200
82 Silver Grove 1,459 4.5% $89,500
83 Bloomfield 1,064 1.5% $113,900
84 Junction City 1,944 4.6% $96,200
85 Augusta 1,329 5.4% $90,200
86 Eddyville 2,556 1.0% $135,800
87 Bromley 1,158 6.6% $87,200
88 Warsaw 1,995 3.2% $129,200
89 Ryland Heights 1,101 4.1% $152,900
90 New Castle 1,050 3.5% $102,900
91 Westwood 4,654 8.0% $95,000
92 Sturgis 1,654 4.6% $74,900
93 Pleasureville 1,409 3.9% $106,600
94 Raceland 2,215 8.8% $90,500
95 Hazard 4,974 7.2% $115,800
96 Olive Hill 1,568 2.5% $92,400
97 Campbellsburg 1,018 7.0% $111,700
98 West Buechel 2,046 5.1% $96,700
99 Brooks 2,223 5.4% $165,900
100 Springfield 2,965 4.2% $119,300
Download The Entire Kentucky Ranking Data

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