Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,794, settled in 1854. A regional job hub with 8,024 jobs.
Trash day: look up yoursHazard earns a D, ranked 132nd of 138 in Kentucky, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $51K, and 32% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, it is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns. 32% of residents live below the poverty line in Hazard, against 16% in Kentucky’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 5 of Kentucky’s 238 towns score lower on hazard risk. Hazard is home to Hazard Community and Technical College.
Where Hazard beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
4,456 counted in 2010 and 5,263 in 2020; an estimated 4,794 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 9%, after 18.1% growth in the decade before.
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 Hazard is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 76 in 1880, a peak of 7,397 in 1940, 5,263 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1891 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hazard, 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 Hazard.
Hazard draws workers from Lexington and beyond and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Kentucky (mostly inland flooding).
46% of adults have high blood pressure in Hazard. Only 9 of the 141 Kentucky towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have obesity than Hazard. 29% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Hazard.
| Hazard | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 38% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | Hazard | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7.8% | 5.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 13.4% | 10.2% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 20.3% | 15.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Perry County school district. Three of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Perry County Central High School, with 819 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Perry Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 743 | B− |
| Perry County Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 819 | C+ |
| Hazard Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 256 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
8,024 jobs are based in Hazard, 4.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 13.8 minutes, against 24 across Kentucky.
45% of Hazard’s working residents work right in town. The average trip to work in Hazard is 14 minutes. The top destinations are Lexington (4%), Hyden (1%) and Whitesburg (1%).
| Hazard | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 45% | 15% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of Kentucky towns, with expected losses of about $746 per resident a year; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on. 272 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 25 properties have flooded more than once.
Hazard’s FEMA risk score is 97 of 100. Since 1978, 272 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hazard.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 2.5 years of the county’s $42K median household income, the typical home (about $106K) costs less against local pay than in 91% of Kentucky towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living. The typical value, about $106K, is 8% below its June 2025 peak.
The typical Hazard home is worth about $106,000, about the same as a year ago, 54% below the Kentucky typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Hazard has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 26° and about 9 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
31.5% of residents live below the poverty line, against 16.1% across Kentucky, which weighs on its D for jobs and income.
Adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (38% statewide). Hazard has lost 9% of its people since 2020, down to 4,794 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 19% of Hazard residents are under 18.
| Hazard | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 19% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 42.2 years | 37.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 26% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 17% | 18% |
57% women, 43% men
About 77 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.6 points). Across Kentucky, 50.5% of residents are women.
| Hazard | KY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.2% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.9% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.7% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.3% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.2% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.4% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.7% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.5% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.1% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 19.5% | 11.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.7% | 32.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.4% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.9% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 7% | 16.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.6% | 11.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,800, single groups can be off by several points
At 18.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 61% of Kentucky’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 85 to 41 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Perry County Park | — | 5 |
| 2. Bobby Davis Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hazard
About 6 of every 100 Hazard residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Kentucky.
14 notable people were born in Hazard.
City in Kentucky, United States
Hazard is a home rule-class city in, and the county seat of, Perry County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 5,263 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Hazard.
Combs and Diablock aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Hazard with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hazard grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #132 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades D− for health, B− for safety and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 2.5 years of the area's median household income ($42,181 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
14 notable people were born here, including Rebecca Gayheart and Glen Combs.