Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,231, settled in 1896. A typical home costs 2 years of the Madisonville area’s $57K median household income.
The best of Dawson Springs’ subject grades is an A for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for incomes. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Dawson Springs, above both the Kentucky town median (16%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 96% of the country. Only 1 of the 140 Kentucky towns we compare have a lower median rent than Dawson Springs. Dawson Springs has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Beulah Lodge and Gabriel Jennings House. Dawson Springs has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Dawson Springs beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
2,764 counted in 2010 and 2,452 in 2020; an estimated 2,231 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Dawson Springs is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 525 in 1890, a peak of 3,275 in 1980, 2,452 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1930 and 3 maps from 1911 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dawson Springs, 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 Dawson Springs.
46% of Dawson Springs adults have high blood pressure, against 38% in Kentucky’s towns and 35% across U.S. towns. 17% of adults have diabetes in Dawson Springs. Dawson Springs beats the Kentucky average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 18.
| Dawson Springs | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 38% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Dawson Springs | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 84% | 81.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 30.2% | 18.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Dawson Springs Independent school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson Springs ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 342 | C− |
| Dawson Springs Jr/Sr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 289 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
The typical Dawson Springs home is worth about $113,000, down 11.7% in a year, 51% below the Kentucky typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 79% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Dawson Springs since 2025.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Most working residents leave Dawson Springs for work: only 17% work in town. The median household income in Dawson Springs is $33,000. Jobs based in Dawson Springs fell to 503 in 2023, 117 fewer than in 2013.
| Dawson Springs | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $33,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 15% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Dawson Springs has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Dawson Springs’ July high is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Dawson Springs | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.7% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dawson Springs City Park | 0.4 mi | 26 |
| 2. Riverside Park | 0.2 mi | 31 |
| 3. Tradewater Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Dawson Springs; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Dawson Springs residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
Where Dawson Springs’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Kentucky, United States
Dawson Springs is a home rule-class city in Hopkins and Caldwell counties in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,452. It was a spa and resort town visited by tourists.
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. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
2 notable people were born here, including Steve Beshear and Reba Rambo McGuire.