City · Wayne County, Kentucky

Monticello, Kentucky

Monticello is a city in Wayne County, Kentucky. It has 5,753 residents. Monticello, Kentucky has a quality-of-life score of 28 out of 100 (low), ranking #11,274 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Kentucky it ranks #131 of 243 cities and towns. It ranks best on property crime rate (low), rent-burdened households (low) and violent crime rate (low). It ranks worst on average weekly wage (low), drug overdose deaths (high) and adult smoking (high).

28Low

Quality-of-life score: #11,274 of 15,651 cities and towns
Kentucky: #131 of 243 in KY
Population: 5,753 (2020-2024)
Land area: 6 mi²
Density: 944.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 2153130

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 70 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.

Safety59#6,457/15,637
Economy13#13,645/15,631
Housing97#500/14,977
Health1#15,390/15,609
Healthcare27#11,489/15,650
Environment88#1,873/15,453
Education28#11,271/15,649
Infrastructure24#11,880/15,650
Community2#15,373/15,651
Leisure & amenities38#9,635/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Monticello, Kentucky ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Wayne 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

Property crime rate · low295 /100k
97/100Kentucky 1,262 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationWayne County value
Rent-burdened households · low38.6%
92/100Kentucky 45.4%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Violent crime rate · low87 /100k
89/100Kentucky 212 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationWayne County value
Child care cost burden · low22.2%
88/100Kentucky 25.2%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWayne County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Kentucky 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWayne County value
Rent as share of income · low26.7%
84/100Kentucky 28.1%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071

Weaknesses

Average weekly wage · low$803
1/100Kentucky $1,202United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWayne County value
Drug overdose deaths · high51.1 /100k
1/100Kentucky 23.1 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100k2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionWayne County value
Adult smoking · high25.8%
2/100Kentucky 17.6%United States 16.1%2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Restaurants and bars · low3.1 /10k
2/100Kentucky 8.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWayne County value
Poverty rate · high30.4%
3/100Kentucky 15.4%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Dental care shortage · high19.0
3/100Kentucky 10.9United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationWayne County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
6,070 (2015-2019) → 5,753 (2020-2024)
−5.2%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
61.8% (2015-2019) → 89.3% (2020-2024)
+28 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
High school diploma or higherImproving
71.5% (2015-2019) → 84.3% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
15.9% (2015-2019) → 5.8% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Unemployment rateImproving
11.2% (2015-2019) → 2.0% (2020-2024)
−9.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
36.3% (2015-2019) → 27.1% (2020-2024)
−9.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

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, Monticello, Kentucky improved on 5 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 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.

Improved5

Unemployment−9.3 points11.2% → 2.0%
High school++13 points71.5% → 84.3%
Broadband+28 points61.8% → 89.3%
Uninsured−10 points15.9% → 5.8%
Household income+42%$31,639 → $44,952

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Monticello, Kentucky between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	15.9 min2015-2019	22.8 min2020-2024	+6.9 min	Within the margin of error	5%
Bachelor's degree or higher	14.6%2015-2019	13.3%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Broadband subscriptions	61.8%2015-2019	89.3%2020-2024	+28 points	Improved	97%
Child poverty rate	36.3%2015-2019	27.1%2020-2024	−9.2 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Effective property tax rate	0.54%2015-2019	0.62%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	8%
High school diploma or higher	71.5%2015-2019	84.3%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	98%
Home price to income ratio	3.1×2015-2019	2.9×2020-2024	−0.2×	Within the margin of error	85%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4402015-2019	0.4422020-2024	+0.002	Within the margin of error	49%
Median household income	$31,6392015-2019	$44,9522020-2024	+42%	Improved	77%
Poverty rate	30.3%2015-2019	30.4%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Rent as share of income	27.0%2015-2019	26.7%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	58%
Rent-burdened households	41.4%2015-2019	38.6%2020-2024	−2.9 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Unemployment rate	11.2%2015-2019	2.0%2020-2024	−9.3 points	Improved	99%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	15.9%2015-2019	5.8%2020-2024	−10 points	Improved	96%

“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 Monticello, Kentucky five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Monticello, 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, Monticello, Kentucky itself moved +3.1 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

5,753 residents (±32)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

2,385 households (±189)

Monticello, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under $25k31%743
$25k–50k26%†625
$50k–75k19%†451

Homes

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

Owners and renters

2,385 households (±189)

Monticello, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Own54%1,284
Rent46%1,101

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

2,624 workers (±298)

Monticello, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Drive alone57%1,506
Carpool18%†462
Public transit0.5%†12

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 Wayne County, the county holding most of Monticello's residents.

Wayne County has 284 employer establishments, 145 for every 10,000 residents (0.58× the US rate of 248; 0.70× Kentucky's), with 4,114 paid employees at an average annual pay of $33,377. The Census Bureau also counts 1,395 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 284; 1,395 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 145; US 248 · Kentucky 207
Paid employees: 4,114
Average annual pay: $33,377; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	26	13.2	0.64×Fewer than typical	256	$51,707	45
Restaurants and other eating places	19	9.7	0.53×Fewer than typical	404	$17,262	5
Religious organizations	13	6.6	1.19×About typical	29	$25,586	—
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	10	5.1	1.25×More than typical	25	$35,720	7
Limited-service restaurants	10	5.1	0.64×Fewer than typical	341	$15,367	—
Banks and credit unions	9	4.6	1.42×Too few to compare	119	$60,185	—
Gasoline stations	8	4.1	1.26×Too few to compare	35	$31,571	3
General merchandise stores	8	4.1	2.31×Too few to compare	302	$31,033	18
Construction of buildings	7	3.6	0.47×Too few to compare	14	$23,071	67
Full-service restaurants	7	3.6	0.46×Too few to compare	43	$35,581	—
Legal services	7	3.6	0.66×Too few to compare	22	$42,727	—
Offices of other health practitioners	7	3.6	0.59×Too few to compare	28	$32,536	24

Rank places for an industry Open Wayne County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 19,629 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

In FY2026, an estimated $226.2K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Monticello, Kentucky: $39.31 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $226.2K; −20% vs FY2025
Per resident: $39.31; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.1%; US 30%
Single offer: 9.2%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Defense Logistics Agency$205.3K91%
Department of the Army$20.9K9.2%

Top recipients

WRIGHT & WRIGHT MACHINERY CO., INC.$226K99.9%
WAYNE CO FISCAL COURT$1650.1%
NBT CONSTRUCTION AND SUPPLY, LLC$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

339.5KFY2017
144.4KFY2018
64.5KFY2019
994.1KFY2020
169.1KFY2021
227.9KFY2022
252KFY2023
317.6K

Top industries (NAICS)

Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing · 3331$205.3K91%
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$20.7K9.2%
Investigation and security services · 5616$1650.1%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Monticello, Kentucky, so they do not add up across cities.

Monticello, Kentucky's figures are part of those of Wayne County, KY ($16.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 1.4% of that total.

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

See federal money in Wayne 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.

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

House

Harold RogersR-KY-5 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 1.8%

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.

Wayne County29100% of residents

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
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/2153130

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends