Photo: Kybluegrass · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Stearns, KY: what to set up and who to call
Stearns has no town government of its own, so McCreary County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend McCreary County School District. Almost every address in Stearns can get fiber (100%, by the FCC’s map).
I’m new in town
What to set up in Stearns, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Stearns.
Power comes from KU
KU (Kentucky Utilities Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves 65.9% of Stearns residents. Its homes paid an average of 11.9¢ per kWh in 2025, about $138 a month (its average across Kentucky).
Start or move service: lge-ku.com · (800) 981-0600
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Mccreary County Water District
Mccreary County Water District supplies almost all of Stearns. It draws surface water and serves 34,439 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. KY0740276.
3 home internet providers serve Stearns
100% of 670 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Telephone Cooperative | Fiber | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 92% | 1,000/1,000 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 28% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Stearns’ trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Stearns.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Stearns is in McCreary County School District.
C+School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
No town hall: the county runs things
Stearns is unincorporated, so McCreary County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Aug 2015; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Stearns spans 3 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Stearns residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Stearns | ZIP’s residents in Stearns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42647 | Stearns, KY | 95% | 35% |
| 42649 | Strunk, KY | 2% | 1% |
| 42653 | Whitley City, KY | 2% | 1% |
A few homes fall in 42638.
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Stearns
Who supplies Stearns’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
Mccreary County Water District (EPA ID KY0740276). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Stearns?
KU (Kentucky Utilities Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 11.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Stearns?
Highland Telephone Cooperative, Spectrum, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Stearns?
42647 (95%), 42649 (2%), 42653 (2%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Stearns in?
McCreary County School District.
How do I register to vote in Stearns?
In Kentucky you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before). Elections here are run by the McCreary County Clerk. Check your registration at vrsws.sos.ky.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.