Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,389, settled in 1807.
Burkesville’s best subject grade is an A+ for safety; its weakest is a D− for incomes. 29% of residents live below the poverty line in Burkesville, where Kentucky’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 3 of Kentucky’s 238 towns score lower on hazard risk. Residents are less healthy than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Clark C. Fowler House and James Baker House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Burkesville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Burkesville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Burkesville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 106 in 1810, a peak of 2,051 in 1980, 1,388 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 3 maps from 1953 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Burkesville, 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 Burkesville.
No town among the 116 in Kentucky we compare has a lower property crime rate than Burkesville. At 0 per 1,000 residents, Burkesville’s violent crime rate is against 1.3 in Kentucky’s towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns.
| Burkesville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.4 per 1,000 residents | 8.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Cumberland County school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland County Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 501 | B+ |
| Cumberland County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 290 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
19% of adults have diabetes in Burkesville. Of the 142 Kentucky towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Burkesville. 44% of adults have obesity in Burkesville.
| Burkesville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 15% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 14% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Burkesville | KY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.2% | 14.2% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 86.1% | 81.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 37.9% | 18.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
About one in 3 of Burkesville’s working residents works in town. Burkesville’s average trip to work is 15 minutes. Since 2013, Burkesville has added 525 jobs, to 1,816 in 2023.
| Burkesville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 33% | 15% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $34,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The FEMA risk score in Burkesville is 96 of 100. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Burkesville since 2010.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Burkesville home is worth about $147,000, down 6.6% in a year, 36% below the Kentucky typical home. Among 140 Kentucky towns, just 1 have a lower median rent than Burkesville. 54% of Burkesville households own their home.
| Burkesville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $508 a month | $934 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 54% | 59% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Burkesville has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 27° and about 7 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.2 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Dr. Joseph Schickel Veterans Memorial Park, at 49 acres.
| Burkesville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dr. Joseph Schickel Veterans Memorial Park | 0.7 mi | 49 |
| 2. Burkesville City Park | 0.2 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Burkesville; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Burkesville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
Where Burkesville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Kentucky, United States
Burkesville is a home rule-class city in Cumberland County, Kentucky, in the United States. Nestled among the rolling foothills of Appalachia and bordered by the Cumberland River to the south and east, it is the seat of its county. The population was 3,713 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. That is 3.7 years of the area's median household income ($40,000 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.