City · Ohio County, Kentucky

Beaver Dam, Kentucky

Beaver Dam is a city in Ohio County, Kentucky. It has 3,524 residents. Beaver Dam, Kentucky has a quality-of-life score of 14 out of 100 (very low), ranking #13,388 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Kentucky it ranks #215 of 243 cities and towns. It ranks best on rent-burdened households (low), rent as share of income (low) and time spent in the emergency room (low). It ranks worst on arts, entertainment and recreation (low), preventable hospital stays (high) and primary care physicians (low).

14Very low

Quality-of-life score: #13,388 of 15,651 cities and towns
Kentucky: #215 of 243 in KY
Population: 3,524 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 1,159.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 2104654

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety66#5,254/15,637
Economy13#13,641/15,631
Housing98#249/14,977
Health7#14,556/15,609
Healthcare5#14,914/15,650
Environment15#13,154/15,453
Education22#12,218/15,649
Infrastructure17#12,974/15,650
Community31#10,864/15,651
Leisure & amenities3#15,251/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Beaver Dam, Kentucky ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Ohio County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Rent-burdened households · low17.3%
100/100Kentucky 45.4%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Rent as share of income · low16.3%
98/100Kentucky 28.1%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Time spent in the emergency room · low107 min
94/100Kentucky 153 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesOhio County value
Property crime rate · low389 /100k
94/100Kentucky 1,262 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationOhio County value
Violent crime rate · low83 /100k
90/100Kentucky 212 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationOhio County value
Public libraries · high1.3 /10k
82/100Kentucky 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesOhio County value

Weaknesses

Arts, entertainment and recreation · low0.4 /10k
1/100Kentucky 4.4 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOhio County value
Preventable hospital stays · high4,655 /100k
3/100Kentucky 3,415 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOhio County value
Primary care physicians · low17 /100k
3/100Kentucky 63 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOhio County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low37.9%
5/100Kentucky 69.8%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOhio County value
Unemployment rate · high12.6%
5/100Kentucky 4.6%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Restaurants and bars · low4.2 /10k
5/100Kentucky 8.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOhio County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Child poverty rateImproving
53.0% (2015-2019) → 2.5% (2020-2024)
−50 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
57.8% (2015-2019) → 89.6% (2020-2024)
+32 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New homes permittedImproving
1.4 /1k (2021) → 2.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+101%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
36.0% (2015-2019) → 17.3% (2020-2024)
−19 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Poverty rateImproving
27.6% (2015-2019) → 11.2% (2020-2024)
−16 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
High school diploma or higherWorsening
91.5% (2015-2019) → 82.3% (2020-2024)
−9.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Beaver Dam, Kentucky improved on 4 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 8 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved4

Poverty−16 points27.6% → 11.2%
Broadband+32 points57.8% → 89.6%
Rent burden−19 points36.0% → 17.3%
Household income+32%$40,917 → $53,944

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Beaver Dam, Kentucky between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.7 min2015-2019	31.6 min2020-2024	+8.8 min	Within the margin of error	3%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.8%2015-2019	16.1%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Broadband subscriptions	57.8%2015-2019	89.6%2020-2024	+32 points	Improved	98%
High school diploma or higher	91.5%2015-2019	82.3%2020-2024	−9.2 points	Within the margin of error	2%
Home price to income ratio	2.4×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	+0.7×	Within the margin of error	36%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.6412015-2019	0.5122020-2024	−0.128	Within the margin of error	98%
Median household income	$40,9172015-2019	$53,9442020-2024	+32%	Improved	59%
Poverty rate	27.6%2015-2019	11.2%2020-2024	−16 points	Improved	98%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	25.2%2015-2019	16.3%2020-2024	−8.9 points	Within the margin of error	92%
Rent-burdened households	36.0%2015-2019	17.3%2020-2024	−19 points	Improved	93%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.1%2015-2019	10.9%2020-2024	+3.8 points	Within the margin of error	15%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Beaver Dam, Kentucky five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Beaver Dam, Kentucky in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Beaver Dam, Kentucky itself moved −3 points in standing on average over the same 9 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

3,524 residents (±17)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 men (+8.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

3,524 residents (±17)

Beaver Dam, Kentucky
Kentucky share

White80%2,818
Black0.9%†32
Hispanic or Latino17%†614

Education

2,446 residents (±190)

Beaver Dam, Kentucky
Kentucky share

No high school diploma18%†432
High school or GED25%†604
Some college27%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,304 households (±127)

Beaver Dam, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under $25k18%†232
$25k–50k20%†255
$50k–75k26%†340
$75k–100k6.6%†86
$100k–150k25%†320
$150k–200k0.0%0
$200k or more5.4%†71

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+17.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,304 households (±127)

Beaver Dam, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Own58%754
Rent42%550

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

550 households (±156)

Beaver Dam, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under $75068%†374
$750–1,00016%†90
$1,000–1,50014%†75

Home values

754 homes (±157)

Beaver Dam, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under $150k35%†261
$150k–250k44%†333
$250k–400k14%†105

Age of homes

1,455 homes (±159)

Beaver Dam, Kentucky
Kentucky share

2010 or later5.6%†81
2000–200918%†267
1980–199922%†314

Size of homes

1,455 homes (±159)

Beaver Dam, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Studio1.0%†14
1 bedroom3.0%†43
2 bedrooms30%†437

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,281 workers (±230)

Beaver Dam, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Drive alone89%1,145
Carpool8.3%†106
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home2.3%†30
Other0.0%0

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,251 workers (±229)

Beaver Dam, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under 15 min25%†308
15–29 min4.1%†51
30–44 min48%†604

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Ohio County, the county holding most of Beaver Dam's residents.

Ohio County has 371 employer establishments, 156 for every 10,000 residents (0.63× the US rate of 248; 0.75× Kentucky's), with 7,858 paid employees at an average annual pay of $33,747. The Census Bureau also counts 1,351 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 371; 1,351 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 156; US 248 · Kentucky 207
Paid employees: 7,858
Average annual pay: $33,747; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Ohio County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	33	13.9	0.67×Fewer than typical	384	$48,076	38
Religious organizations	27	11.4	2.05×More than typical	84	$14,298	—
Specialty trade contractors	27	11.4	0.73×Fewer than typical	84	$47,310	178
Restaurants and other eating places	23	9.7	0.53×Fewer than typical	409	$15,848	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	14	5.9	1.17×About typical	49	$36,980	30
Limited-service restaurants	13	5.5	0.68×Fewer than typical	305	$15,193	—
Building equipment contractors	12	5	0.84×About typical	36	$59,972	39
Gasoline stations	12	5	1.56×More than typical	105	$22,190	—
General merchandise stores	11	4.6	2.62×More than typical	307	$29,114	11
Offices of other health practitioners	10	4.2	0.69×Fewer than typical	48	$41,771	19
Offices of physicians	10	4.2	0.65×Fewer than typical	190	$56,011	5
Truck transportation	10	4.2	0.83×About typical	76	$64,763	45

Rank places for an industry Open Ohio County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 23,763 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Beaver Dam is mostly in Ohio County.

See federal money in Ohio County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Beaver Dam, Kentucky is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Brett GuthrieR-KY-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 0.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Ohio County21100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Ohio County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2104654