Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,901, settled in 1826.
The best of Jamestown’s subject grades are an A for schools and the outdoors and an A− for safety; the weakest is a D− for incomes. 44% of residents live below the poverty line in Jamestown, above both Kentucky’s towns (16%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). On incomes, just 18 of Kentucky’s 236 towns do worse. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 95% of the country. Jamestown’s trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile, above both Kentucky’s towns (0.3) and U.S. towns (0.4). Only 3 of Kentucky’s 238 towns score higher on the outdoors. Jamestown has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Jamestown beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Jamestown | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 33.7% | 18.9% |
Where Jamestown’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Jamestown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 138 in 1870, 1,867 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1939 and 2 maps from 1953 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Jamestown, 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 Jamestown.
20% of Jamestown adults report frequent physical distress. Only 5 of the 142 Kentucky towns we compare have a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Jamestown. 19% of Jamestown adults report frequent mental distress.
| Jamestown | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 18% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Jamestown | KY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.8% | 14.2% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 84.6% | 81.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 33.7% | 18.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Russell County school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamestown Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 480 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
The median household income in Jamestown is $21,000. Jobs based in Jamestown fell to 1,333 in 2023, 403 fewer than in 2013. Most working residents leave Jamestown for work: only 15% work in town.
| Jamestown | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $21,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 15% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Jamestown’s violent crime rate is 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Jamestown | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.3 per 1,000 residents | 8.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Jamestown home is worth about $170,000, down 4.4% in a year, 26% below the Kentucky typical home. 43% of households own their home in Jamestown.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Jamestown has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 26° and about 5 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
4.4 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Only 8 of the 122 Kentucky towns we compare have a higher share of conserved land than Jamestown.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jamestown City Park | 0.4 mi | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 59% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Jamestown since 2010.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Jamestown; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Jamestown residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
3 notable people were born in Jamestown.
City in Kentucky, United States
Jamestown is a home rule-class city in Russell County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. As of the 2020 census, Jamestown had a population of 1,867.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Jamestown.
| Town | KY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamestown | — | — | B− | A− | A | D− |
| Russell Springs | #97 | C | B− | B | A | D |
Jamestown has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare Jamestown with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 3.8 years of the area's median household income ($44,738 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 B−.
3 notable people were born here, including Cy Barger and Bill Schwartz.
