Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Of the 120 Kentucky towns we compare, none has a lower typical home value than Burnside. 90% of the land in Burnside is conserved, above both the Kentucky town median (1.7%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Burnside has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Battle of Mill Springs Historic Areas and Mill Springs National Cemetery. Burnside has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Burnside beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 1,117 in 1910, 694 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and 4 maps from 1932 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Burnside, 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 Burnside.
2.6 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is General Burnside Island State Park, at 331 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cole Community Park | 0.4 mi | 17 |
| 2. General Burnside Island State Park | — | 331 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Pulaski County school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burnside Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 414 | B |
NCES · EDFacts
Most working residents leave Burnside for work: only 8% work in town. 23% of residents live below the poverty line in Burnside, above both Kentucky’s towns (16%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Since 2013, Burnside has added 177 jobs, to 1,010 in 2023.
| Burnside | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 8.4% | 15% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Burnside home is worth about $101,000, down 10.5% in a year, 56% below the Kentucky typical home. 86% of Burnside households own their home. Typical home values fell 11% in the year to September 2026.
| Burnside | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 59% | 73% |
| Median rent | $926 a month | $934 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Burnside has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 26° and about 11 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 63% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
12 crimes were reported in Burnside in 2025: 11 property and 1 violent. In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Burnside is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
32% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Burnside. Among 142 Kentucky towns, just 1 have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Burnside. 19% of adults report frequent mental distress in Burnside.
| Burnside | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 23% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 18% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Burnside | KY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.4% | 14.2% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 85.7% | 81.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 17.4% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Burnside
About 4 of every 100 Burnside residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
Where Burnside’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Burnside on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Kentucky, United States
Burnside is a home rule-class city in Pulaski County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 census, Burnside had a population of 694. In 2004, Burnside became the only town in Pulaski County or any adjoining county to allow the sale of alcoholic beverages in qualified establishments. Since then, Burnside has annexed about eight miles of shoreline along Lake Cumberland in order to include Lee's Ford Marina on Fishing Creek, allowing it to sell alcohol. On August 28, 2007, Burnside voters again approved the sale of alcoholic beverages in restaurants that seat at least 100 people and derive at least 70% of their gross receipts from the sale of food, by a vote of 227–104. The petition for the…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Burnside has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
2 notable people were born here, including David E. Davis and Edith Fitzgerald.
