Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 97% of the country. Overall it grades C, 85th of 138 graded towns in Kentucky. It reports less crime per resident than 91% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 89% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. 33% of residents live below the poverty line in Paintsville, above both the Kentucky town median (16%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Its National Register listings include Francis M. Stafford House and Mayo Methodist Church. On civic life, just 13 of Kentucky’s 204 towns do better.
Where Paintsville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
John C. C. Mayo Mansion and Office| Widest gap | Paintsville | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 8.4% | 5.4% |
Census counts: 247 in 1870, 4,312 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1866 and 5 maps from 1917 on.
20 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Paintsville is from typical.
Its grades run from A for safety (better than 91% of comparable towns) to D− for health (better than 3%), so the C overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Paintsville, 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 Paintsville.
Paintsville draws workers from Prestonsburg and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Kentucky (mostly inland flooding) and has seen reported crime rise by about half.
Against the 418 U.S. towns with household incomes like Paintsville’s, it is less healthy than 55%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income.
25% of adults smoke cigarettes in Paintsville. Among 141 Kentucky towns, just 3 have a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Paintsville. 44% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Paintsville.
| Paintsville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 22% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 27% | 25% |
| What stands out | Paintsville | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 8.4% | 5.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 14.8% | 10.2% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 22.2% | 15.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Johnson County school district. Three of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Johnson Central High School, with 888 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson County Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 449 | B |
| Johnson Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 888 | C− |
| Paintsville High SchoolTop results in townGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 318 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
3,423 jobs are based in Paintsville, 3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here fell from 4,454 in 2013 to 3,423.
Paintsville’s median household income is $28,000. Jobs based in Paintsville fell to 3,423 in 2023, 1,031 fewer than in 2013. 30% of Paintsville working residents work locally.
| Paintsville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 30% | 15% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $28,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes rose from 8 to 25 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Paintsville is 4.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Paintsville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.4 per 1,000 residents | 8.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
3.3 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Paintsville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.4% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Preston Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of Kentucky towns, with expected losses of about $1,261 per resident a year; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1978, 102 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Paintsville. Among 141 Kentucky towns, just 8 have a higher FEMA risk score than Paintsville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical value, about $140K, is 7% below its May 2025 peak.
The typical Paintsville home is worth about $140,000, down 4.7% in a year, 40% below the Kentucky typical home. Only 8 of the 139 Kentucky towns we compare have a lower median rent than Paintsville.
| Paintsville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 43% | 59% | 73% |
| Median rent | $637 a month | $937 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
32.9% of residents live below the poverty line, against 16.1% across Kentucky, which weighs on its D for jobs and income. The median household earns $28,257, against $63,726 across Kentucky.
Adults 35 to 64 are 47% of residents (38% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (22% statewide). Paintsville has lost 4.8% of its people since 2020, down to 4,111 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 18% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Kentucky.
| Paintsville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 44.8 years | 37.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 18% | 26% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 17% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 22% | 22% |
56% women, 44% men
About 79 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±5.8 points). Across Kentucky, 50.5% of residents are women.
| Paintsville | KY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.3% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.8% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.3% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.4% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.2% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19.6% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.4% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.5% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 16.5% | 11.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 43% | 32.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.9% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 8.7% | 16.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.9% | 11.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,100, single groups can be off by several points
January nights average 24.5°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 75% of Kentucky places with climate records; July afternoons average 86.9°.
Paintsville has chilly winters and warm summers. About 17 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Paintsville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 87°F | 87°F | 85°F |
| January low | 25°F | 25°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Paintsville. Close and well known come first.
in town MuseumU.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum
4 mi MuseumMountain Homeplace9 mi MuseumEast Kentucky Science Center
15 mi MuseumMagoffin County Pioneer Village and MuseumU.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum: J654567, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mountain Homeplace: J654567, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Magoffin County Pioneer Village and Museum: FloNight (Sydney Poore) and Russell Poore, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Paintsville
About 8 of every 100 Paintsville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
3,459 counted in 2010 and 4,312 in 2020; an estimated 4,111 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 4.8%, after 24.7% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
20 places in Paintsville on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Paintsville.
City in Kentucky, United States
Paintsville (locally ) is a home rule-class city in Johnson County, Kentucky, United States. Located along Paint Creek, it is the county seat of Johnson County. The population was 4,312 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Paintsville grades C overall, better than 33% of U.S. towns and #85 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades D− for health, A for safety and B for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.1 years of the area's median household income ($44,904 across the county).
11 notable people were born here, including Crystal Gayle and Benjamin F. Stapleton.
