Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Hawesville’s subject grades are an A+ for safety and an A for cost of living and schools; the weakest is a D for incomes. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in Hawesville, where Kentucky’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 6 of Kentucky’s 180 towns score higher on safety. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 86% of the country. On the outdoors, just 15 of Kentucky’s 238 towns do worse. Hawesville has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Hancock County Courthouse and Immaculate Conception Church. Hawesville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Hawesville beats most towns.
Hancock County CourthouseIn a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Hawesville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,128 in 1860, 1,023 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1859 and 3 maps from 1953 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hawesville, 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 Hawesville.
At 0 per 1,000 residents, Hawesville’s property crime rate is below both Kentucky’s towns (8.3) and U.S. towns (9.9). Among 116 Kentucky towns, just 6 have a lower violent crime rate than Hawesville. Hawesville reports less crime per resident than 99% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.
| Hawesville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 8.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Most working residents leave Hawesville for work: only 11% work in town. Hawesville’s average trip to work is 17 minutes. Since 2013, Hawesville has added 149 jobs, to 662 in 2023.
| Hawesville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 15% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
22% of Hawesville adults smoke cigarettes. Hawesville beats the Kentucky average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 17% of Hawesville adults report frequent physical distress.
| Hawesville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 23% | 19% |
| What stands out | Hawesville | KY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.6% | 15.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.5% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 79% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Hawesville since 2025.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Hawesville has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 26° and about 11 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 29% of residents (22% statewide). 20% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Hawesville.
| Hawesville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 35.5 years | 37.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 20% | 26% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 22% | 22% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.4 points. Across Kentucky, 50.5% of residents are women.
| Hawesville | KY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.5% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.5% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 18.1% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.7% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 5.9% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.7% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.3% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.9% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 20% | 11.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.6% | 32.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.9% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.8% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.5% | 16.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.3% | 11.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,000, single groups can be off by several points
The typical Hawesville home is worth about $214,000, up 8.3% in a year, 7% below the Kentucky typical home. The median rent in Hawesville is $680 a month.
| Hawesville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $680 a month | $934 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 59% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Hawesville; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Hawesville residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Kentucky.
Where Hawesville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Hawesville on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Kentucky, United States
Hawesville is a home rule-class city on the south bank of the Ohio River in Hancock County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. As of the 2020 census, Hawesville had a population of 1,023. It is included in the Owensboro metropolitan area.
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.
