Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,628, settled in 1869.
Russell gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $223K, 3.7 years of the Huntington metro’s $60K median household income. It grades A− overall, 26th of 138 graded towns in Kentucky. On the plus side, its schools rank ahead of 94% of Kentucky towns. 4.7% of residents live below the poverty line in Russell, where Kentucky’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Russell Railroad YMCA is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Russell beats most towns.
3,380 counted in 2010 and 3,744 in 2020; an estimated 3,628 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 3.2%, after 10.8% 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 Russell is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 175 in 1880, a low of 175 in 1880, 3,744 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 7 maps from 1898 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Russell, 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 Russell.
Russell sends many workers across the state line to Huntington, looks healthier within Kentucky than nationally and has milder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Kentucky.
Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
The violent crime rate in Russell is 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Russell | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.1 per 1,000 residents | 8.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
January nights average 24.1°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 81% of Kentucky places with climate records; July afternoons average 86.9°.
Russell has chilly winters and warm summers. About 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Russell | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 87°F | 87°F | 85°F |
| January low | 24°F | 25°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (22% statewide). 36% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Russell. Russell has lost 3.2% of its people since 2020, down to 3,628 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Russell | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 26% | 29% |
| Median age | 42.3 years | 37.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 17% | 18% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.1 points. Across Kentucky, 50.5% of residents are women.
| Russell | KY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.7% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.1% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.6% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.8% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.2% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.6% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.5% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.7% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.9% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.8% | 11.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.9% | 32.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.5% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.9% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.5% | 16.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18.4% | 11.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,600, single groups can be off by several points
30% of working residents cross a state line to work, Huntington among the top destinations. Jobs based here fell from 2,809 in 2013 to 1,803.
Most working residents leave Russell for work: only 8% work in town. Jobs based in Russell fell to 1,803 in 2023, 1,006 fewer than in 2013. Russell’s average trip to work is 26 minutes.
| Russell | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 8.1% | 15% | 8% |
| Median household income | $76,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 27 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Russell.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Within Kentucky it is healthier than 64% of the 141 graded towns: much of Kentucky scores lower on these measures. Its widest gap with Kentucky is tooth loss: 11.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 18.9% statewide.
Russell beats the Kentucky average on 10 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 15% of Russell adults report frequent mental distress.
| Russell | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 39% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 14% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Russell | KY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.3% | 18.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.8% | 15.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median property tax bill is $2,339, against $1,544 across Kentucky, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Typical home values rose 5.7% in the year to September 2026.
| Russell | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 82% | 59% | 73% |
| Median rent | $743 a month | $937 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Russell. Close and well known come first.
12 mi Theme parkCamden Park
16 mi National forestWayne National Forest
16 mi MuseumHuntington Museum of Art
16 mi MuseumHeritage Farm Museum and Village14 mi MuseumMuseum of Radio and TechnologyCamden Park: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Wayne National Forest: Forest Service, USDA, Public domain · Huntington Museum of Art: Daderot, CC0 · Heritage Farm Museum and Village: Zeo1989, CC BY-SA 4.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Russell
About 4 of every 100 Russell residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
3 notable people were born in Russell.
City in Kentucky, United States
Russell is a home rule-class city on the south bank of the Ohio River in Greenup County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 census, Russell had a population of 3,744. Russell is a suburb of Ashland and part of the Huntington-Ashland-Ironton metropolitan area. It has close economic affiliations with its neighbors, Ashland and Flatwoods in Kentucky and Ironton, Ohio.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Russell.
| Town | KY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russell | #26 | A− | B+ | B+ | A | C+ |
| Flatwoods | #24 | A | A− | A | A | C− |
| Bellefonte | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Bellefonte isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Russell with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Russell grades A− overall, better than 84% of U.S. towns and #26 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades C+ for health, B+ for safety and A for schools.
Not for the area. 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 Bill McCutcheon and Ernest E. West.
