Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Barbourville grades D overall, 131st of 138 graded towns in Kentucky, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $22K, and 52% of residents live below the poverty line. Residents are less healthy than 80% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also has a long history, with 5 places on the National Register. 52% of residents live below the poverty line in Barbourville, against 16% in Kentucky’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 22 of Kentucky’s 238 towns score lower on cost of living. Barbourville is home to Union Commonwealth University.
Where Barbourville beats most towns.
Old Classroom Building, Union College
Census counts: 55 in 1810, a low of 55 in 1810, 3,222 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 2 maps from 1952 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Barbourville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Barbourville, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Barbourville.
Barbourville draws workers from Corbin and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Kentucky (mostly inland flooding).
2.1 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The trail density in Barbourville is 0.8 miles per square mile. Barbourville City Park, at 26 acres with 1.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Barbourville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.7% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Barbourville City Park | 1.1 mi | 26 |
| 2. Thompson Park | 0.4 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Knox County school district. Three of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Knox Central High School, with 720 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 522 | C+ |
| Barbourville City SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 755 | B+ |
| G R Hampton Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 244 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
3,225 jobs are based in Barbourville, 3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Of the 142 Kentucky towns we compare, none has a lower median household income than Barbourville. 34% of working residents work locally in Barbourville. Jobs based in Barbourville grew to 3,225 in 2023, 181 more than in 2013.
| Barbourville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 34% | 15% | 8% |
| Median household income | $22,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 119 U.S. towns with household incomes like Barbourville’s, it is healthier than 89%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
13% of Barbourville adults binge drink. Barbourville beats the Kentucky average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 17% of Barbourville adults report frequent physical distress.
| Barbourville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | Barbourville | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.1% | 18.9% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.6% | 4% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.6% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Barbourville home is worth about $141,000, about the same as a year ago, 39% below the Kentucky typical home. Barbourville’s median rent is $702 a month.
| Barbourville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 44% | 59% | 73% |
| Median rent | $702 a month | $937 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 85% of Kentucky towns; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1984, 26 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Barbourville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
51.8% of residents live below the poverty line, against 16.1% across Kentucky, which weighs on its D− for jobs and income. The median household earns $22,046, against $63,726 across Kentucky.
Barbourville has lost 5% of its people since 2020, down to 3,064 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 28% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Kentucky.
| Barbourville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 34.7 years | 37.6 years | 40.5 years |
60% women, 40% men
About 66 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±5.1 points). Across Kentucky, 50.5% of residents are women.
| Barbourville | KY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.7% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 1.8% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 16.1% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 18% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.8% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.8% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.4% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 14.5% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 25.4% | 11.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.8% | 32.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.8% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.1% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 9.9% | 16.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18% | 11.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,100, single groups can be off by several points
Barbourville has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 26° and about 11 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
2 within 15 miles of the center of Barbourville
About 10 of every 100 Barbourville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
Where Barbourville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Barbourville on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Barbourville.
City in Kentucky, United States
Barbourville is a home rule-class city in Knox County, Kentucky, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, Barbourville had a population of 3,222. It is the county seat of Knox County. The city was formally established by the state assembly in 1812. It was incorporated in 1854 and then reincorporated in 1856. Union Commonwealth University and the Appalachian Children's Home are located in Barbourville.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Barbourville grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #131 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades C− for health, B for safety and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($46,363 across the Corbin, KY area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
8 notable people were born here, including William A. Stanfill and George Madison Adams.
