Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,722, settled in 1810. A regional job hub with 1,180 jobs.
The best of Catlettsburg’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and history and an A− for safety; the weakest is a D− for health. 12% of residents are under 18 in Catlettsburg, against 22% in Kentucky’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. On health, just 23 of Kentucky’s 237 towns do worse. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Only 21 of Kentucky’s 238 towns score higher on history. Catlettsburg's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 86% of U.S. towns. Catlettsburg has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Catlettsburg beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Catlettsburg | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 8.9% | 5.4% |
Census counts: 1,019 in 1870, a peak of 5,025 in 1930, 1,780 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1903 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 Catlettsburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Catlettsburg, 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 Catlettsburg.
25% of Catlettsburg adults smoke cigarettes, above both the Kentucky town median (18%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 35% of Catlettsburg adults get no exercise outside work. Catlettsburg beats the Kentucky average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 17.
| Catlettsburg | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 27% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 23% | 19% |
| What stands out | Catlettsburg | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 8.9% | 5.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 26.2% | 18.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 13.9% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Boyd County school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catlettsburg Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 184 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Catlettsburg for work: only 7% work in town. 20% of residents live below the poverty line in Catlettsburg. The top destinations are Ashland (22%), Huntington (10%) and Lexington (3%).
| Catlettsburg | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $38,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.3% | 15% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Among 142 Kentucky towns, just 9 have a higher FEMA risk score than Catlettsburg. Since 1978, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Catlettsburg.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Catlettsburg’s property crime rate is 2.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Catlettsburg | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.3 per 1,000 residents | 8.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Catlettsburg home is worth about $141,000, down 6.1% in a year, 39% below the Kentucky typical home. The median rent in Catlettsburg is $630 a month.
| Catlettsburg | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $630 a month | $934 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 56% | 59% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Catlettsburg has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 25° and about 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.2 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Catlettsburg | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Old Catlettsburg Cemetery | — | 3 |
| 2. Catlettsburg City Athletic Complex | 0.1 mi | 2 |
| 3. Hyland Farms Community Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Catlettsburg. Close and well known come first.
4 mi Theme parkCamden Park
20 mi National forestWayne National Forest
9 mi MuseumHuntington Museum of Art
8 mi MuseumHeritage Farm Museum and Village7 mi MuseumMuseum of Radio and TechnologyCamden Park: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Wayne National Forest: Forest Service, USDA, Public domain · Huntington Museum of Art: Daderot, CC0 · Heritage Farm Museum and Village: Zeo1989, CC BY-SA 4.0
6 within 15 miles of the center of Catlettsburg
About 3 of every 100 Catlettsburg residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
Where Catlettsburg’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Catlettsburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Kentucky, United States
Catlettsburg is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Boyd County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,780 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Catlettsburg.
| Town | KY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catlettsburg | — | — | A | A− | C | D− |
| Ashland | #109 | C− | B+ | C− | B− | C− |
Catlettsburg has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare Catlettsburg with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
