Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Cynthiana’s weakest subject is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 90% of the country. It does especially well on cost of living: a typical home costs about $244K, 3.7 years of the county’s $66K median household income. Add walkability to its strengths (A−): it is more walkable than 83% of U.S. towns. Put together, the subjects come to a C+ overall, ranking 69th of 138 in Kentucky. Nationally, it does better than just over two fifths of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Cynthiana Commercial District and Joel Fraizer House. 31% of residents live below the poverty line here, against 16% in Kentucky’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. This Kentucky town has 28 places on the National Register.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Cynthiana beats most towns.
Harrison County Courthouse
Census counts: 78 in 1800, 6,333 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1851 and 4 maps from 1934 on.
13 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Cynthiana is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cynthiana, 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 Cynthiana.
Cynthiana has home values climbing faster than Kentucky’s and has milder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Kentucky; it also has poverty well above the Kentucky rate.
Cynthiana: 29% of adults have been diagnosed with depression. Two figures for adults in the town: 17% report frequent physical distress, 26% say their health is fair or poor.
| Cynthiana | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 22% | 19% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Cynthiana | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7% | 5.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.4% | 10.2% |
| More adults in fair or poor health | 26.1% | 22.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The public schools here belong to the Harrison County school district. The largest public high school is Harrison County High School, with 881 students. Two of its 8 schools are shown below, with the reason for each.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison County Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 617 | C |
| Harrison County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 881 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
January nights average 23.9°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 84% of Kentucky places with climate records; July afternoons average 86.6°.
About 16 inches of snow falls in a winter. In Cynthiana, the midsummer high is 87°F.
| Cynthiana | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 87°F | 87°F | 85°F |
| January low | 24°F | 25°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The top destinations are Lexington (14%), Georgetown (13%) and Paris (5%). One in 3 of Cynthiana’s working residents works locally. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in the town rose by 903, to 4,096. The typical household income in the town is $55,000.
| Cynthiana | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 31% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 30% | 15% | 8% |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Compared with 55% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Cynthiana is lower. The national flood insurance program has paid 116 claims in the town since 1978. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 55% come from inland flooding and 19% from tornadoes. Federal aid has come to Cynthiana households in 4 declared disasters; the latest was in 2010.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Home values rose 43% in five years, to about $244K, against 25% across Kentucky.
In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 2.2%. Among households in Cynthiana, 48% live in a home they own. Also worth knowing: for Cynthiana, the going rate for rent is $770 a month.
| Cynthiana | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 48% | 59% | 73% |
| Median rent | $770 a month | $937 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The rate of thefts and burglaries for Cynthiana comes to 11.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Cynthiana | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.5 per 1,000 residents | 8.2 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.5 per 1,000 residents | 1.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cynthiana. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi Theme parkArk Encounter
27 mi Stadium & arenaKroger Field
26 mi Stadium & arenaRupp Arena
25 mi GardenLexington Cemetery
20 mi Park & preserveKentucky Horse Park
33 mi State parkFort Boonesborough State ParkArk Encounter: OlinEJ, CC0 · Kroger Field: Navin75, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Rupp Arena: The original uploader was Analogue Kid at English Wikipedia., CC BY 2.5 · Lexington Cemetery: Analogue Kid at en.wikipedia, CC BY 2.5 · Kentucky Horse Park: Wes Blevins, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Fort Boonesborough State Park: Bubba73, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Cynthiana; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Cynthiana residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
13 places in Cynthiana on the National Register of Historic Places.
21 notable people were born in Cynthiana.
City in Kentucky, United States
Cynthiana is a home rule-class city in Harrison County, Kentucky, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, Cynthiana had a population of 6,333. It is the seat of its county.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cynthiana grades C+ overall, better than 41% of U.S. towns and #69 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades D for health, B− for safety and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
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−.
21 notable people were born here, including Lawrence Pressman and Orville Hickman Browning.
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