Big CliftyKY
A town of 285, settled in 1843.
Is Big Clifty a good place to live?
Big Clifty has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
285 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Big Clifty: who provides what
Big Clifty is unincorporated, so Grayson County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Big Clifty.
Compared with most of Kentucky and the rest of the country, the average trip to work in Big Clifty is longer
The share of residents in Big Clifty who live below the poverty line: 20%. For half of commuters, work is under 24 miles away. The top destinations are Leitchfield (24%), Elizabethtown (13%) and Louisville (8%).
| Big Clifty | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 16% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Zillow puts the typical Big Clifty home at about $171K
For households in Big Clifty, the share who live in a home they own is 74%. Home values are down 17% over the year to September 2026. Also worth knowing: the town’s typical rent is $771 a month, below both Kentucky’s towns ($934 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
| Big Clifty | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $771 a month | $934 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 59% | 73% |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The climate in Big Clifty brings four seasons and pleasant summers
Summer afternoons peak near 88° in July, and January nights bottom out around 25°; snowfall runs to about 9 inches a winter. Summers in Big Clifty are warm, and winters chilly, with plenty of rain.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
A larger share of adults in Big Clifty get no exercise outside work than in the typical Kentucky or U.S. town
In Big Clifty, 30% of adults have been diagnosed with depression. Of the 142 Kentucky towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who binge drink than Big Clifty. Still, 28% of Big Clifty adults smoke cigarettes, above both the Kentucky town median (18%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). On the CDC’s 31 measures, Big Clifty is ahead of Kentucky on 2 and behind on 21.
| Big Clifty | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 23% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 27% | 25% |
| What stands out | Big Clifty | KY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.1% | 14.2% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 84.1% | 81.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 31.6% | 18.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Big Clifty faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
The natural-hazard score from FEMA for Big Clifty comes to 57 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 39% come from inland flooding and 20% from tornadoes. Federal aid has come to Big Clifty households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2025.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about Big Clifty
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Big Clifty; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Big Clifty residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
100% of working residents leave Big Clifty for work
Where Big Clifty’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Big Clifty
Census-designated place in Kentucky, United States
Big Clifty is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Grayson County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 census, Big Clifty had a population of 367.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 748 ft
- ZIP code
- 42712
Questions about Big Clifty
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Big Clifty, KY a good place to live?
Big Clifty has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.