Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Harrodsburg gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $240K, 3.7 years of the county’s $65K median household income. It grades C− overall, 107th among Kentucky's 138 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $48K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 74% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 46 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include Dutch Reformed Church and College Street Historic District. Among 115 Kentucky towns, just 2 have a higher violent crime rate than Harrodsburg. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 79% of U.S. towns.
Where Harrodsburg beats most towns.
Morgan Row
Beriah Magoffin
Its founding year, 1774, comes before those of 99% of the Kentucky towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 122 in 1800, 9,064 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1785 and 3 maps from 1952 on.
36 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Harrodsburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Harrodsburg, 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 Harrodsburg.
Harrodsburg trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and is safe by national standards but not by Kentucky’s.
Against the 5,172 U.S. towns with household incomes like Harrodsburg’s, it is healthier than 64%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. Within Kentucky it is less healthy than 52% of the 141 graded towns: much of Kentucky scores lower on these measures.
Harrodsburg tracks Kentucky closely on all 31 CDC measures.
| Harrodsburg | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 40% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 39% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 14% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Mercer County school district. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Mercer County Senior High School, with 748 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer County Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 713 | – |
| Mercer County Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 748 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
Harrodsburg’s FEMA risk score is 74 of 100, above both the Kentucky town median (48 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100). Since 1978, 39 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Harrodsburg.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Harrodsburg has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 25° and about 15 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 4 of Harrodsburg’s working residents works in town. Harrodsburg’s median household income is $48,000, where Kentucky’s towns sit at $60,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. Harrodsburg’s average trip to work is 20 minutes.
| Harrodsburg | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 15% | 8% |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 16% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 26% of residents (22% statewide). Harrodsburg has grown 4.4% since 2020, to 9,576 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 21% of Harrodsburg adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Harrodsburg | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 21% | 26% | 29% |
| Median age | 37.7 years | 37.6 years | 40.5 years |
46% women, 54% men
About 119 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.6 points). Across Kentucky, 50.5% of residents are women. Among residents 55 to 64, 67% are men (KY 49%).
| Harrodsburg | KY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.4% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.5% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.1% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.1% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.9% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.2% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.7% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10% | 11.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34% | 32.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.7% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.3% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.7% | 16.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.3% | 11.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Homes are within reach (about $240K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 20 miles.
The median rent in Harrodsburg is $790 a month.
| Harrodsburg | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $790 a month | $937 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 60% | 59% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.6 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Harrodsburg | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.4% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Old Fort Harrod State Park | 0.4 mi | 19 |
| 2. The Big Spring Park | 0.2 mi | 5 |
| 3. Young Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 19.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 64% of Kentucky’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Harrodsburg. Close and well known come first.
26 mi Stadium & arenaKroger Field
27 mi Stadium & arenaRupp Arena
7 mi Ancient sitePleasant Hill
27 mi GardenLexington Cemetery
in town MuseumOld Fort Harrod State Park
33 mi State parkFort Boonesborough State ParkKroger Field: Navin75, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Rupp Arena: The original uploader was Analogue Kid at English Wikipedia., CC BY 2.5 · Pleasant Hill: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Lexington Cemetery: Analogue Kid at en.wikipedia, CC BY 2.5 · Old Fort Harrod State Park: FloNight (Sydney Poore) and Russell Poore, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Boonesborough State Park: Bubba73, CC BY-SA 3.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Harrodsburg
About 3 of every 100 Harrodsburg residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
36 places in Harrodsburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
22 notable people were born in Harrodsburg.
City in Kentucky, United States
Harrodsburg is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Mercer County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 9,064 at the 2020 census. Although Harrodsburg was formally established by the Virginia House of Burgesses after Boonesborough and was not incorporated by the Kentucky legislature until 1836, President Franklin D. Roosevelt honored it as the oldest permanent American settlement west of the Appalachians.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Harrodsburg grades C− overall, better than 25% of U.S. towns and #107 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades C for health, B− for safety and C+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
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−.
22 notable people were born here, including Beriah Magoffin and John Burton Thompson.
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