Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Pineville’s best subject grades are an A for the outdoors and an A− for history; its weakest is a D− for health. 34% of residents live below the poverty line in Pineville, above both Kentucky’s towns (16%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 7 of Kentucky’s 237 towns score lower on health. The median household income is $25K, and 34% of residents live below the poverty line. 37% of the land in Pineville is conserved, against 1.7% in Kentucky’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Only 1 of Kentucky’s 204 towns score lower on civic life. Kentucky Ridge Forest Wildlife Mangement Area, at 934 acres with 1.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Pineville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Pineville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Pineville | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 16.9% | 10.2% |
Where Pineville’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 Pineville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2009.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pineville, 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 Pineville.
29% of adults smoke cigarettes in Pineville. Only 2 of the 142 Kentucky towns we compare have a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Pineville. 12% of adults binge drink in Pineville.
| Pineville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 27% | 25% |
| What stands out | Pineville | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 16.9% | 10.2% |
| More uninsured adults | 8.8% | 5.4% |
| More smokers | 28.7% | 18.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Pineville Independent school district. Its one school is below. The largest public high school is Pineville Independent School, with 531 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pineville Independent SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 531 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
35% of Pineville households own their home. No town among the 140 in Kentucky we compare has a lower median rent than Pineville. Typical home values fell 21% in the year to September 2026.
| Pineville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 35% | 59% | 73% |
| Median rent | $407 a month | $934 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
About one in 4 of Pineville’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Pineville fell to 1,719 in 2023, 538 fewer than in 2013. Among 143 Kentucky towns, just 1 have a lower median household income than Pineville.
| Pineville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $25,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 15% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kentucky Ridge Forest Wildlife Mangement Area | 1.5 mi | 934 |
| 2. Kentucky Ridge State Forest | — | 5 |
| 3. Pine Mountain State Resort Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 83% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 39 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pineville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Pineville has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 25° and about 10 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (38% statewide). Pineville has lost 7% of its people since 2020, down to 1,552 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 20% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Kentucky.
| Pineville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 43.1 years | 37.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 20% | 26% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 17% | 18% |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.4 points. Across Kentucky, 50.5% of residents are women.
| Pineville | KY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.4% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.5% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.7% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.8% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.7% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.3% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.6% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.1% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.8% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 24.5% | 11.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.6% | 32.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 13.8% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.4% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 10.1% | 16.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.6% | 11.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,600, single groups can be off by several points
Pineville’s violent crime rate is 0 per 1,000 residents.
| Pineville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.4 per 1,000 residents | 8.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
3 within 15 miles of the center of Pineville
About 5 of every 100 Pineville residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Kentucky.
6 notable people were born in Pineville.
City in Kentucky, United States
Pineville (locally ) is a home rule-class city in Bell County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 1,678 as of the 2020 census. It is located on a small strip of land between the Cumberland River and Pine Mountain.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
6 notable people were born here, including John Hoskins (officer) and Joseph Chilton Pearce.