Photo: Huw Williams (Huwmanbeing) · Public domainHouseholds in Leitchfield have lower incomes than those in 93% of U.S. towns
Jobs and income earn Leitchfield D−; getting around on foot earns it C. The poverty rate is 24.3%; Kentucky has 16.1%. About one in three work in Leitchfield; the top destination outside it is Elizabethtown (8%, 27 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Leitchfield: the figures worth knowing
Leitchfield draws workers from far and wide
The 5,651 jobs in Leitchfield are filled from a wide area. Leitchfield’s own residents hold 16% and the ten next-biggest home towns 9%; the other 75% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Leitchfield is where the jobs are
Leitchfield has 5,651 jobs, 2.2 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 10,000 people are in town, 45% more than the 7,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Leitchfield’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Leitchfield is Elizabethtown, 27 miles away as the crow flies. 8% of working residents (213) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
A big share show a job far from home
32% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Leitchfield
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Leitchfield is better than 4% of U.S. towns, #135 of 142 in Kentucky. Job access by car holds Leitchfield’s grade up (ahead of 27% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (10.2%, U.S. 5.2%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Leitchfield could be anywhere from D− to D.
Where the people who work in Leitchfield live
Where Leitchfield clocks in
8% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
In and out of Leitchfield on a workday
On a workday 1,617 residents head out to work, 906 work right here, and 4,745 people come in from elsewhere.
About 10,000 people are in Leitchfield on a workday afternoon, 45% more than live here.
2.2 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Short hops and long hauls from Leitchfield
About 32% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
What the 5,651 jobs in Leitchfield are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Leitchfield, 2013 → 2023: 5,917 → 5,651. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Leitchfield’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Leitchfield: about 20 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Leitchfield workers work from home, vs 10% across Kentucky. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,408 commuters (the 5% who work from home are left out). Across Kentucky: 85% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Most of Leitchfield commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Leitchfield is more walkable than 32% of U.S. towns, #112 of 142 in Kentucky. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.9% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.1% across Kentucky.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,531 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 7.4% of Leitchfield households have no vehicle (Kentucky 6.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Leitchfield’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Leitchfield compares with U.S. towns of 4,900 to 9,500
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 69 | Union KY | 7,937 | $137K | 2.9% | 1.5% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 184 | Edgewood KY | 8,503 | $119K | 3.8% | 2.4% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 290 | Fort Wright KY | 6,240 | $105K | 3.0% | 3.4% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 3,158 | Marlin TX | 5,599 | $36K | 26.7% | 14.2% | 13% | D− |
| 3,159 | Greenville AL | 6,912 | $41K | 31.6% | 6.6% | 37% | D− |
| 3,160 | Leitchfield KY | 7,015 | $44K | 24.3% | 10.2% | 36% | D− |
| 3,161 | Bennettsville SC | 7,565 | $37K | 28.4% | 12.5% | 22% | D− |
| 3,162 | Salton City CA | 5,988 | $48K | 14.4% | 12.8% | 8% | D− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,227 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Leitchfield, the top three, the last and three more from Kentucky.
Leitchfield and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Clarkson (2%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Leitchfield workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leitchfield | – | D− | C | 20 min | $44,347 |
| Clarkson | 2% | — | — | 24 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Clarkson: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Leitchfield’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Leitchfield: questions
What is the median household income in Leitchfield?
$44,347 (±$5,493) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $63,726 across Kentucky and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Leitchfield?
24.3%, against 16.1% across Kentucky and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Leitchfield?
20 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Kentucky and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Leitchfield work?
36% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Elizabethtown (8%, 27 mi), Louisville (4%, 59 mi), Lexington (3%, 107 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Leitchfield walkable?
Leitchfield is more walkable than 32% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.6 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Leitchfield without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Leitchfield, from the people who make the trip.
More of Leitchfield
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.