McCracken County, Kentucky Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
McCracken County, KY Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
C
Health Below average
-
C
Income Below averageWealthier than 80% of counties in Kentucky
-
D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 89% of counties in Kentucky
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | McCracken County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 67,525 | 4,533,530 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 252.1 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.44% | 0.33% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.3 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 27,601 | 1,813,524 | 130,235,071 |
Population in McCracken County grew by 3.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 67,525 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in McCracken County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.8% of residents. That is 0.7 points above Kentucky as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 12,497 18.5% -2.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 13,653 20.2% -0.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 14,074 20.8% +0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 13,436 19.9% +2.1 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Kentucky, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 52.4% of the people living in McCracken County and men 47.6%.
- Women 52.4% Kentucky 50.5%
- Men 47.6% Kentucky 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in McCracken County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
McCracken County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | McCracken County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $66,255 | $64,312 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.73% | 4.62% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.2% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in McCracken County is about 3% higher than in Kentucky.
Housing
| Metric | McCracken County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $23,192 | $118,017 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $897 | $967 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 68.9% | 68.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in McCracken County is about 2.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $897 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in McCracken County spend about 31 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 129 hours, about 5.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | McCracken County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 15.5 | 20.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 31.1 | 41.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 129 | 173 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,014 | $5,369 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.3% | 10.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,298 | 6,995 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 835 | 832 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Kentucky:
Calloway County (13.9 min), Owsley County (15.0 min), Taylor County (15.3 min).
Slowest:
Owen County (37.7 min), Spencer County (33.3 min), Bracken County (33.2 min).
The average commute time in McCracken County is 16 minutes, shorter than the 21 minutes in Kentucky.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
McCracken County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | McCracken County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 25.9% | 24.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.40 | 2.43 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Kentucky:
Fayette County (0.4), Oldham County (0.4), Campbell County (0.3).
Lowest:
Leslie County (0.1), Lee County (0.1), Elliott County (0.1).
Health
McCracken County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | McCracken County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.8 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 22.6% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.6% | 26.0% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Kentucky:
Oldham County (0.8), Boone County (0.8), Scott County (0.8).
Lowest:
Clay County (0.7), Bell County (0.7), McCreary County (0.7).
McCracken County, KY Compared With Nearby Counties
How McCracken County, KY compares with the 1 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McCracken County, KY | 67,525 | $66,255 #1/2 | $23,192 #2/2 | 15.5 min #1/2 |
| Graves County, KY | 36,630 | $50,878 | $307,143 | 18.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about McCracken County, Kentucky.
How many people live in McCracken County, Kentucky?
About 67,525 people live in McCracken County, Kentucky, in 27,601 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 43.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is McCracken County, Kentucky mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, McCracken County, Kentucky has 252 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.9 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in McCracken County, Kentucky?
The median home costs 0.4 times the median household income ($23,192 against $66,255), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $897 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in McCracken County, Kentucky?
Unemployment in McCracken County, Kentucky is only 3.2%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →