City · Lewis County, Kentucky

Vanceburg, Kentucky

Vanceburg is a city in Lewis County, Kentucky. It has 1,482 residents. Vanceburg, Kentucky has a quality-of-life score of 8 out of 100 (very low), ranking #14,339 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Kentucky it ranks #241 of 243 cities and towns. It ranks best on violent crime rate (low), property crime rate (low) and effective property tax rate (low). It ranks worst on access to exercise opportunities (low), social associations (low) and mental health care shortage (high).

8Very low

Quality-of-life score: #14,339 of 15,651 cities and towns
Kentucky: #241 of 243 in KY
Population: 1,482 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 1,023.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 2179068

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 71 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.

Safety69#4,824/15,637
Economy1#15,509/15,631
Housing88#1,795/14,977
Health1#15,482/15,609
Healthcare2#15,410/15,650
Environment43#8,813/15,453
Education3#15,249/15,649
Infrastructure11#13,921/15,650
Community2#15,327/15,651
Leisure & amenities8#14,340/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Vanceburg, Kentucky ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Lewis 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 · low32 /100k
99/100Kentucky 212 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureLewis County value
Property crime rate · low199 /100k
99/100Kentucky 1,262 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureLewis County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.37%
95/100Kentucky 0.75%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Rent-burdened households · low37.0%
93/100Kentucky 45.4%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Public libraries · high1.5 /10k
87/100Kentucky 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesLewis County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Kentucky 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLewis County value

Weaknesses

Access to exercise opportunities · low4.0%
0/100Kentucky 69.8%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLewis County value
Social associations · low0.0 /10k
0/100Kentucky 10.3 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLewis County value
Mental health care shortage · high21.0
0/100Kentucky 14.9United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationLewis County value
Restaurants and bars · low1.5 /10k
0/100Kentucky 8.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLewis County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low0.0 /10k
1/100Kentucky 4.4 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLewis County value
Adult smoking · high27.6%
1/100Kentucky 17.6%United States 16.1%2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Trends

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

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
58.0% (2015-2019) → 83.6% (2020-2024)
+26 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$17,197 (2015-2019) → $30,054 (2020-2024)
+75%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
45.6% (2015-2019) → 37.0% (2020-2024)
−8.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
3.7% (2015-2019) → 9.9% (2020-2024)
+6.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
High school diploma or higherImproving
67.4% (2015-2019) → 73.5% (2020-2024)
+6.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Child poverty rateWorsening
50.4% (2015-2019) → 55.7% (2020-2024)
+5.3 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, Vanceburg, Kentucky improved on 3 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 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.

Improved3

Household income+75%$17,197 → $30,054
Broadband+26 points58.0% → 83.6%
Bachelor's++6.3 points3.7% → 9.9%

Declined1

Inequality+0.1180.445 → 0.563

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Vanceburg, Kentucky between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.9 min2015-2019	20.9 min2020-2024	−3.9 min	Within the margin of error	85%
Bachelor's degree or higher	3.7%2015-2019	9.9%2020-2024	+6.3 points	Improved	76%
Broadband subscriptions	58.0%2015-2019	83.6%2020-2024	+26 points	Improved	96%
Child poverty rate	50.4%2015-2019	55.7%2020-2024	+5.3 points	Within the margin of error	20%
High school diploma or higher	67.4%2015-2019	73.5%2020-2024	+6.2 points	Within the margin of error	87%
Home price to income ratio	3.3×2015-2019	3.0×2020-2024	−0.3×	Within the margin of error	90%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4452015-2019	0.5632020-2024	+0.118	Declined	3%
Median household income	$17,1972015-2019	$30,0542020-2024	+75%	Improved	95%
Poverty rate	44.1%2015-2019	39.6%2020-2024	−4.5 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	28.5%2015-2019	26.1%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Within the margin of error	71%
Rent-burdened households	45.6%2015-2019	37.0%2020-2024	−8.6 points	Within the margin of error	80%

“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 Vanceburg, Kentucky five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Vanceburg, 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, Vanceburg, Kentucky itself moved +9.2 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

1,482 residents (±279)

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

675 households (±103)

Vanceburg, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under $25k45%306
$25k–50k30%†205
$50k–75k7.4%†50

Homes

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

Owners and renters

675 households (±103)

Vanceburg, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Own57%387
Rent43%288

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

370 workers (±106)

Vanceburg, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Drive alone84%†309
Carpool12%†43
Public transit

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 Lewis County, the county holding most of Vanceburg's residents.

Lewis County has 114 employer establishments, 87.8 for every 10,000 residents (0.35× the US rate of 248; 0.42× Kentucky's), with 1,190 paid employees at an average annual pay of $42,553. The Census Bureau also counts 875 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 114; 875 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 87.8; US 248 · Kentucky 207
Paid employees: 1,190
Average annual pay: $42,553; US $68,342

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

Truck transportation	14	10.8	2.13×More than typical	57	$35,263	53
Gasoline stations	10	7.7	2.37×More than typical	71	$15,775	—
Banks and credit unions	8	6.2	1.91×Too few to compare	58	$43,810	—
Ambulatory health care services	6	4.6	0.22×Too few to compare	128	$66,117	30
General merchandise stores	5	3.8	2.18×Too few to compare	31	$25,194	10
Restaurants and other eating places	5	3.8	0.21×Too few to compare	61	$17,344	4
Specialty trade contractors	5	3.8	0.25×Too few to compare	57	$46,386	102
Child day care services	3	2.3	0.95×Too few to compare	31	$26,194	16
Construction of buildings	3	2.3	0.31×Too few to compare	50	$91,460	57
Grocery and convenience stores	3	2.3	0.78×Too few to compare	51	$20,098	5
Legal services	3	2.3	0.43×Too few to compare	5	$40,000	—
Lessors of real estate	3	2.3	0.19×Too few to compare	3	$38,667	29

Rank places for an industry Open Lewis County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 12,989 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: Vanceburg is mostly in Lewis County.

See federal money in Lewis 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.

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

House

Thomas MassieR-KY-4 · 100% of residentsWith party 85%Missed 5.9%

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.

Lewis County9100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Lewis 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/2179068

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends