Scores by category

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

Safety80#3,159/15,637
Economy4#14,969/15,631
Housing56#6,619/14,977
Health3#15,142/15,609
Healthcare6#14,646/15,650
Environment35#10,072/15,453
Education3#15,102/15,649
Infrastructure11#13,932/15,650
Community21#12,324/15,651
Leisure & amenities35#10,222/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Violent crime rate · low25 /100k
100/100Kentucky 212 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2024Federal Bureau of InvestigationPowell County value
Property crime rate · low268 /100k
98/100Kentucky 1,262 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2024Federal Bureau of InvestigationPowell County value
Job growth · high4.3%
97/100Kentucky -0.4%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataPowell County value
Pharmacies · high3.1 /10k
97/100Kentucky 2.4 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPowell County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Kentucky 5.5 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataPowell County value
Public libraries · high1.6 /10k
87/100Kentucky 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesPowell County value

Weaknesses

Median household income · low$25,417
1/100Kentucky $64,481United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
Primary care physicians · low8 /100k
1/100Kentucky 63 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePowell County value
Average weekly wage · low$820
1/100Kentucky $1,202United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPowell County value
Reading scores · low2.50
2/100Kentucky 3.05United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePowell County value
Drug overdose deaths · high44.4 /100k
2/100Kentucky 23.1 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataPowell County value
Life expectancy · low69.6 yrs
2/100Kentucky 73.6 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePowell County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
2,710 (2015-2019) → 3,218 (2020-2024)
+19%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
0.6 /1k (2021) → 1.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+142%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
54.8% (2015-2019) → 73.3% (2020-2024)
+19 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
33.3% (2015-2019) → 20.6% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.2× (2015-2019) → 4.8× (2020-2024)
+50%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
74.4% (2015-2019) → 82.7% (2020-2024)
+8.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

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, Stanton, Kentucky improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 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.

Improved1

Broadband+8.3 points74.4% → 82.7%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Stanton, Kentucky between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	30.7 min2015-2019	24.7 min2020-2024	−6.0 min	Within the margin of error	93%
Bachelor's degree or higher	12.9%2015-2019	8.1%2020-2024	−4.8 points	Within the margin of error	7%
Broadband subscriptions	74.4%2015-2019	82.7%2020-2024	+8.3 points	Improved	51%
High school diploma or higher	79.2%2015-2019	85.1%2020-2024	+5.9 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Home price to income ratio	3.2×2015-2019	4.8×2020-2024	+1.6×	Within the margin of error	8%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4682015-2019	0.4692020-2024	+0.001	Within the margin of error	50%
Median household income	$36,3432015-2019	$25,4172020-2024	−30%	Within the margin of error	0%
Poverty rate	26.1%2015-2019	26.0%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	32.0%2015-2019	38.0%2020-2024	+6 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Rent-burdened households	54.8%2015-2019	73.3%2020-2024	+19 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Unemployment rate	9.6%2015-2019	7.1%2020-2024	−2.5 points	Within the margin of error	86%

“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 Stanton, Kentucky five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Stanton, 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, Stanton, Kentucky itself moved −6.1 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

3,218 residents (±27)

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: Under 10 women (−6.5 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

3,218 residents (±27)

Stanton, Kentucky
Kentucky share

White97%3,107
Black0.9%†28
Hispanic or Latino0.7%†24

Education

2,362 residents (±152)

Stanton, Kentucky
Kentucky share

No high school diploma15%†353
High school or GED54%1,268
Some college18%†420

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

1,223 households (±164)

Stanton, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under $25k49%†604
$25k–50k23%†287
$50k–75k5.2%†64
$75k–100k7.5%†92
$100k–150k12%†147
$150k–200k1.9%†23
$200k or more0.5%†6

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $50k–75k (−13.5 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

1,223 households (±164)

Stanton, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Own54%664
Rent46%559

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

529 households (±157)

Stanton, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under $75046%†244
$750–1,00033%†173
$1,000–1,50021%†112

Home values

664 homes (±158)

Stanton, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under $150k71%†474
$150k–250k17%†111
$250k–400k8.4%†56

Age of homes

1,522 homes (±189)

Stanton, Kentucky
Kentucky share

2010 or later5.3%†81
2000–200921%†325
1980–199927%†412

Size of homes

1,522 homes (±189)

Stanton, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Studio1.8%†28
1 bedroom17%†253
2 bedrooms22%†335

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

1,146 workers (±199)

Stanton, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Drive alone82%941
Carpool10%†115
Public transit0.0%0
Walk3.5%†40
Bike0.0%0
Work from home4.4%†50
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

1,096 workers (±214)

Stanton, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under 15 min49%†535
15–29 min9.1%†100
30–44 min18%†202

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 Powell County, the county holding most of Stanton's residents.

Powell County has 212 employer establishments, 163 for every 10,000 residents (0.66× the US rate of 248; 0.79× Kentucky's), with 1,878 paid employees at an average annual pay of $36,409. The Census Bureau also counts 755 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 212; 755 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 163; US 248 · Kentucky 207
Paid employees: 1,878
Average annual pay: $36,409; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	21	16.2	0.78×Fewer than typical	111	$53,387	18
Restaurants and other eating places	19	14.6	0.80×Fewer than typical	304	$20,470	3
Specialty trade contractors	15	11.6	0.75×Fewer than typical	75	$53,840	94
Gasoline stations	13	10	3.09×More than typical	97	$18,103	—
Individual and family services	10	7.7	2.75×More than typical	54	$28,593	—
Limited-service restaurants	10	7.7	0.96×About typical	260	$18,973	—
Full-service restaurants	7	5.4	0.70×Too few to compare	43	$27,767	—
Outpatient care centers	7	5.4	2.93×Too few to compare	8	$61,375	—
Religious organizations	7	5.4	0.97×Too few to compare	26	$12,231	—
Building equipment contractors	6	4.6	0.77×Too few to compare	20	$44,950	19
Lessors of real estate	6	4.6	0.38×Too few to compare	18	$23,000	54
Other specialty trade contractors	6	4.6	1.84×Too few to compare	47	$55,021	33

Rank places for an industry Open Powell County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 12,981 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 $704 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Stanton, Kentucky: $0.22 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $704; −19% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.22; US $1,994
Sole-source: 100%; 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 the Army$704100%

Top recipients

DEC INDUSTRIAL HOLDINGS LLC$704100%

Spending by fiscal year

19.1KFY2017
3.4KFY2018
1.4KFY2019
290.9FY2020
299.4FY2021
0FY2022
-20.9FY2023
867.6FY2025

Top industries (NAICS)

Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$704100%

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

Stanton, Kentucky's figures are part of those of Powell County, KY ($35.3K in FY2026), never added to them: 2.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Powell 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.

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

House

Andy BarrR-KY-6 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 7.1%

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.

Powell County12100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Powell County

Largest first.

Clay City151,204

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/2173164

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends