Paducah, Kentucky Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Paducah, 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
-
D
Income Well below average
-
D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Paducah | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 23,636 | 4,533,530 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1136.7 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.88% | 0.33% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.3 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 10,125 | 1,813,524 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Paducah grew by 7.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 23,636 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Paducah is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.6% of residents. That is 1.5 points above Kentucky as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,534 19.2% -2.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,836 20.5% -0.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 5,097 21.6% +1.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,413 18.7% +0.8 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 52.1% of the people living in Paducah and men 47.9%.
- Women 52.1% Kentucky 50.5%
- Men 47.9% Kentucky 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Paducah
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Paducah has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Paducah | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $54,674 | $64,312 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.52% | 4.62% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.0% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Paducah is about 15% lower than in Kentucky.
Housing
| Metric | Paducah | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $19,679 | $118,017 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $853 | $967 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 60.9% | 68.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Paducah is about 1.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $853 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Paducah spend about 26 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 106 hours, about 4.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Paducah | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 12.8 | 20.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 25.5 | 41.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 106 | 173 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,300 | $5,369 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.6% | 10.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,929 | 6,995 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,866 | 832 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Paducah is 13 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
Paducah has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Paducah | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 25.3% | 24.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.27 | 2.43 | 2.53 |
Health
Paducah has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Paducah | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.1 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 25.9% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 25.5% | 26.0% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Paducah, Kentucky.
How many people live in Paducah, Kentucky?
About 23,636 people live in Paducah, Kentucky, in 10,125 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 42.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Paducah, Kentucky urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Paducah, Kentucky has 1,137 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 13 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Paducah, Kentucky an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 0.4 times the median household income ($19,679 against $54,674), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $853 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Paducah, Kentucky?
Unemployment in Paducah, Kentucky is only 4.0%, 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 →