Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A regional job hub with 4,671 jobs.
Williamsburg gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $117K, 2.5 years of the Corbin area’s $46K median household income. It grades B− overall, 59th among Kentucky's 138 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 87% of the country, and the median household income is $38K, and 31% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Williamsburg, where Kentucky’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Williamsburg is home to University of the Cumberlands. Williamsburg's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 93% of U.S. towns.
Where Williamsburg beats most towns.
J. B. Gatliff House
Census counts: 126 in 1860, 5,326 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1952 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Williamsburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Williamsburg, 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 Williamsburg.
Williamsburg is shaped by its college students, draws workers from Corbin and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
4,671 jobs are based in Williamsburg, 2.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 12.9 minutes, against 24 across Kentucky.
About one in 3 of Williamsburg’s working residents works in town. Williamsburg’s average trip to work is 13 minutes. The top destinations are Corbin (6%), London (6%) and Lexington (4%).
| Williamsburg | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 32% | 15% | 8% |
| Median household income | $38,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Williamsburg Independent school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Williamsburg City School, with 833 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamsburg City SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 833 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
31.8% of residents are enrolled in college, against 5.5% statewide, which pulls the median age down. The median household earns $38,147, against $63,726 across Kentucky, one input to its D for jobs and income.
The median age in Williamsburg is 24.8 years. Adults 18 to 34 are 44% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 25% of residents (38% statewide). 17% of residents are under 18 in Williamsburg.
| Williamsburg | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 24.8 years | 37.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 17% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 21% | 26% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.4 points. Across Kentucky, 50.5% of residents are women.
| Williamsburg | KY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.8% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 33.8% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.6% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.3% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.1% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 4.6% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.7% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 20.7% | 11.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 37.3% | 32.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.1% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 2.7% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 8.5% | 16.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.7% | 11.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
At 2.5 years of the Corbin area’s $46K median household income, the typical home (about $117K) costs less against local pay than in 91% of Kentucky towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living. The typical value, about $117K, is 20% below its July 2023 peak.
36% of Williamsburg households own their home. Typical home values fell 14% in the year to September 2026.
| Williamsburg | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 36% | 59% | 73% |
| Median rent | $793 a month | $937 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 1,909 U.S. towns with household incomes like Williamsburg’s, it is healthier than 63%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
Williamsburg beats the Kentucky average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 12. Only 4 of the 141 Kentucky towns we compare have a higher share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Williamsburg.
| Williamsburg | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 40% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 22% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 14% |
| What stands out | Williamsburg | KY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.9% | 8.7% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 28.8% | 32.2% |
| More uninsured adults | 9.6% | 5.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Williamsburg has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 26° and about 11 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 60 to 31 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Williamsburg.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Williamsburg | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.6% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Briar Creek Park | — | 4 |
| 2. Williamsburg City Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Williamsburg
College town 32 of every 100 Williamsburg residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
5 places in Williamsburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Williamsburg.
City in Kentucky, United States
Williamsburg is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Whitley County, on the southeastern border of Kentucky, United States. The population was 5,326 at the 2020 census. Developed along the Cumberland River, the city was founded in 1818 and named after William Whitley.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Williamsburg grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #59 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades D for health, B for safety and B+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
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+.
7 notable people were born here, including Charles Finley and Eugene Siler.
