Scores by category

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

Safety61#6,150/15,637
Economy7#14,574/15,631
Housing74#3,905/14,977
Health11#13,966/15,609
Healthcare29#11,094/15,650
Environment28#11,173/15,453
Education83#2,675/15,649
Infrastructure21#12,438/15,650
Community19#12,679/15,651
Leisure & amenities20#12,531/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Average commute time · low12.3 min
99/100Kentucky 24.0 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Math scores · high3.57
98/100Kentucky 3.00United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCalloway County value
Reading scores · high3.36
92/100Kentucky 3.05United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCalloway County value
Pharmacies · high2.5 /10k
91/100Kentucky 2.4 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCalloway County value
Violent crime rate · low79 /100k
91/100Kentucky 212 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCalloway County value
Child care cost burden · low22.3%
87/100Kentucky 25.2%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCalloway County value

Weaknesses

Depression · high29.6%
6/100Kentucky 27.4%United States 20.7%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Grocery stores · low0.8 /10k
6/100Kentucky 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCalloway County value
Comfortable days · low22.8%
6/100Kentucky 23.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationCalloway County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.499
7/100Kentucky 0.477United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Poverty rate · high24.1%
7/100Kentucky 15.4%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Average weekly wage · low$920
7/100Kentucky $1,202United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCalloway County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
19,171 (2015-2019) → 18,080 (2020-2024)
−5.7%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
7.9 /1k (2021) → 1.5 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−81%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
56.8% (2015-2019) → 45.1% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$30,576 (2015-2019) → $44,091 (2020-2024)
+44%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Child poverty rateImproving
33.7% (2015-2019) → 25.8% (2020-2024)
−7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Poverty rateImproving
31.7% (2015-2019) → 24.1% (2020-2024)
−7.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

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, Murray, Kentucky improved on 4 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 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−7.6 points31.7% → 24.1%
Rent / income−7 points34.3% → 27.3%
Rent burden−12 points56.8% → 45.1%
Household income+44%$30,576 → $44,091

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Murray, Kentucky between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	12.5 min2015-2019	12.3 min2020-2024	−0.2 min	Within the margin of error	50%
Bachelor's degree or higher	33.7%2015-2019	36.1%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Broadband subscriptions	83.8%2015-2019	83.5%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	7%
Child poverty rate	33.7%2015-2019	25.8%2020-2024	−7.9 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Effective property tax rate	0.90%2015-2019	0.72%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	55%
High school diploma or higher	89.8%2015-2019	90.6%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Home price to income ratio	5.2×2015-2019	4.4×2020-2024	−0.7×	Within the margin of error	96%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5232015-2019	0.4992020-2024	−0.024	Within the margin of error	70%
Median household income	$30,5762015-2019	$44,0912020-2024	+44%	Improved	79%
Poverty rate	31.7%2015-2019	24.1%2020-2024	−7.6 points	Improved	88%
Rent as share of income	34.3%2015-2019	27.3%2020-2024	−7 points	Improved	88%
Rent-burdened households	56.8%2015-2019	45.1%2020-2024	−12 points	Improved	85%
Unemployment rate	3.7%2015-2019	5.8%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.6%2015-2019	7.6%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	47%

“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 Murray, Kentucky five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Murray, 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, Murray, Kentucky itself moved +6.8 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

18,080 residents (±32)

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: 10–19 women (+3.3 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

18,080 residents (±32)

Murray, Kentucky
Kentucky share

White82%14,747
Black6.9%1,245
Hispanic or Latino3.4%†609

Education

9,332 residents (±334)

Murray, Kentucky
Kentucky share

No high school diploma9.4%874
High school or GED29%2,734
Some college19%1,806

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

6,802 households (±302)

Murray, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under $25k28%1,880
$25k–50k28%1,889
$50k–75k16%1,087
$75k–100k11%736
$100k–150k9.9%676
$150k–200k3.9%†265
$200k or more4.0%†269

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−17.3 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

6,802 households (±302)

Murray, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Own42%2,834
Rent58%3,968

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

3,915 households (±337)

Murray, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under $75038%1,472
$750–1,00028%1,113
$1,000–1,50026%999

Home values

2,834 homes (±229)

Murray, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under $150k30%857
$150k–250k38%1,066
$250k–400k22%626

Age of homes

7,844 homes (±303)

Murray, Kentucky
Kentucky share

2010 or later13%1,003
2000–200912%906
1980–199925%1,958

Size of homes

7,844 homes (±303)

Murray, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Studio2.7%†212
1 bedroom24%1,879
2 bedrooms24%1,911

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

8,144 workers (±540)

Murray, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Drive alone73%5,924
Carpool7.2%†588
Public transit0.0%†2
Walk13%1,021
Bike0.1%†10
Work from home6.6%541
Other0.7%†58

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+3.5 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

7,603 workers (±547)

Murray, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under 15 min75%5,685
15–29 min14%1,058
30–44 min6.6%†502

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

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Murray, KY

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 Calloway County, the county holding most of Murray's residents.

Calloway County has 906 employer establishments, 235 for every 10,000 residents (0.95× the US rate of 248; 1.13× Kentucky's), with 13,709 paid employees at an average annual pay of $39,978. The Census Bureau also counts 2,998 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 906; 2,998 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 235; US 248 · Kentucky 207
Paid employees: 13,709
Average annual pay: $39,978; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	71	18.4	0.88×About typical	450	$46,082	131
Restaurants and other eating places	67	17.4	0.95×About typical	1,610	$16,759	16
Specialty trade contractors	62	16.1	1.04×About typical	520	$51,192	272
Religious organizations	40	10.4	1.87×More than typical	282	$16,844	—
Lessors of real estate	37	9.6	0.78×Fewer than typical	117	$26,872	249
Construction of buildings	36	9.3	1.24×About typical	155	$39,639	140
Limited-service restaurants	32	8.3	1.04×About typical	777	$15,193	8
Offices of other health practitioners	30	7.8	1.28×More than typical	190	$39,300	51
Full-service restaurants	27	7	0.91×About typical	644	$19,009	6
Truck transportation	26	6.7	1.33×More than typical	1,880	$36,900	57
Automotive repair and maintenance	25	6.5	1.29×More than typical	90	$30,289	99
Services to buildings and dwellings	23	6	0.89×About typical	143	$28,874	244

Rank places for an industry Open Calloway County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 38,523 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 $38.8K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Murray, Kentucky: $2.15 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $38.8K; +251% vs FY2025
Per resident: $2.15; US $1,994
Sole-source: 8.5%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Department of Defense Education Activity$35.5K92%
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service$2,9137.5%
Department of the Navy$3771.0%

Top recipients

TAYLOR MOTORS, INC.$35.5K92%
MURRAY STATE UNIVERSITY$3,2918.5%

Spending by fiscal year

356.3KFY2017
339.1KFY2018
375.4KFY2019
355.5KFY2020
125.6KFY2021
360.7KFY2022
541.6KFY2023
155.7K

Top industries (NAICS)

School and employee bus transportation · 4854$29.2K75%
Investigation and security services · 5616$6,38716%
Other professional, scientific, and technical services · 5419$2,9137.5%
Administration of human resource programs · 9231$3771.0%

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 Murray, Kentucky, so they do not add up across cities.

Murray, Kentucky's figures are part of those of Calloway County, KY ($722.7K in FY2026), never added to them: 5.4% of that total.

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

See federal money in Calloway 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.

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

House

James ComerR-KY-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 2.4%

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.

Calloway County40100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Murray, KY32

Other cities and towns in Calloway 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/2154642

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends