Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety65#328/924
Economy5#883/925
Housing54#423/925
Health20#742/925
Healthcare26#679/923
Environment36#590/917
Education13#807/925
Infrastructure15#783/925
Community10#832/925
Leisure & amenities65#320/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Glasgow, KY micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Pharmacies · high3.6 /10k
99/100Kentucky 2.4 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Violent crime rate · low86 /100k
93/100Kentucky 212 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Grocery stores · high2.1 /10k
84/100Kentucky 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Property crime rate · low694 /100k
83/100Kentucky 1,262 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high5.7 /10k
81/100Kentucky 4.4 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Effective property tax rate · low0.58%
75/100Kentucky 0.75%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090

Weaknesses

Dentists · low29 /100k
5/100Kentucky 67 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Distance to an Amtrak station · high160 mi
6/100Kentucky 78 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Preventable hospital stays · high4,326 /100k
6/100Kentucky 3,415 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Comfortable days · low22.6%
6/100Kentucky 23.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Child poverty rate · high30.7%
6/100Kentucky 18.9%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Median household income · low$50,729
6/100Kentucky $64,481United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 23% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+23 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New business applicationsImproving
6.5 /1k (2020) → 10.3 /1k (2025)
+59%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Mental health providersImproving
149 /100k (2021) → 223 /100k (2025)
+50%4 yearsUS 282 /100k → 348 /100k
Physical inactivityImproving
38.1% (2019) → 28.2% (2022)
−9.9 pts3 yearsUS 25.9% → 23.2%
Adult smokingImproving
28.6% (2019) → 20.0% (2022)
−8.6 pts3 yearsUS 16.5% → 13.2%
Property crime rateImproving
1,171 /100k (2020) → 694 /100k (2025)
−41%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /100k

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, Glasgow, KY micropolitan area improved on 10 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 9. 6 moved within the margin of error and 6 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved10

High school++5.2 points81.6% → 86.8%
Weekly wage+28%$758 → $973
Violent crime−33%127 /100k → 86 /100k
Overdose deaths−48%22.3 /100k → 11.7 /100k
New businesses+59%6.5 /1k → 10.3 /1k

Declined9

Homicides+83%3.1 /100k → 5.6 /100k
Inequality+0.0330.440 → 0.473
Grocery stores−22%2.7 /10k → 2.1 /10k
Commute+2.3 min21.6 min → 23.8 min
Firearm deaths+29%11.9 /100k → 15.3 /100k

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Glasgow, KY micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	5.5 /10k2020	5.7 /10k2025	+4%	Little change	38%
Average commute time	21.6 min2015-2019	23.8 min2020-2024	+2.3 min	Declined	10%
Average weekly wage	$7582020	$9732025	+28%	Improved	87%
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.7%2015-2019	17.3%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Broadband subscriptions	78.5%2015-2019	86.3%2020-2024	+7.9 points	Improved	36%
Child poverty rate	35.0%2015-2019	30.7%2020-2024	−4.2 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Distance to an airport	74 mi2020	74 mi2025	+0 mi	Little change	20%
Drug overdose deaths	22.3 /100k2020	11.7 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−48%	Improved	79%
Effective property tax rate	0.72%2015-2019	0.58%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	57%
Firearm deaths	11.9 /100k2020	15.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+29%	Declined	18%
Grocery stores	2.7 /10k2020	2.1 /10k2025	−22%	Declined	8%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.7 /10k2020	0.5 /10k2025	−27%	Declined	14%
High school diploma or higher	81.6%2015-2019	86.8%2020-2024	+5.2 points	Improved	96%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.3×2020-2024	+0.5×	Declined	44%
Homicide rate	3.1 /100k2020	5.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+83%	Declined	2%
Income adjusted for local prices	$41,7302019	$53,3012024	+28%	Improved	20%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4402015-2019	0.4732020-2024	+0.033	Declined	5%
Median household income	$40,8992015-2019	$50,7292020-2024	+24%	Improved	33%
New business applications	6.5 /1k2020	10.3 /1k2025	+59%	Improved	68%
Pharmacies	3.8 /10k2020	3.6 /10k2025	−7.2%	Declined	52%
Poverty rate	24.0%2015-2019	20.9%2020-2024	−3.1 points	Within the margin of error	87%
Property crime rate	1,171 /100k2020	694 /100k2025	−41%	Improved	66%
Public libraries	0.7 /10k2019	0.7 /10k2024	−3%	Little change	38%
Rent as share of income	29.3%2015-2019	28.4%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Rent-burdened households	48.4%2015-2019	45.7%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Restaurants and bars	8.9 /10k2020	8.5 /10k2025	−4.5%	Little change	27%
Suicide rate	17.8 /100k2020	17.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−2.8%	Little change	66%
Traffic deaths	20.4 /100k2015-2019	21.7 /100k2020-2024	+6.3%	Declined	52%
Unemployment rate	7.4%2020	4.8%2025	−2.6 points	Improved	39%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.8%2015-2019	9.8%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Violent crime rate	127 /100k2020	86 /100k2025	−33%	Improved	79%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Glasgow, KY micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Glasgow, KY micropolitan area 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, Glasgow, KY micropolitan area itself moved −4.1 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

55,363 residents

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

22,117 households (±392)

Glasgow, KY micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k23%5,092
$25k–50k26%5,830
$50k–75k16%3,562

Homes

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

Owners and renters

22,117 households (±392)

Glasgow, KY micropolitan area
United States share

Own67%14,928
Rent33%7,189

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

22,353 workers (±869)

Glasgow, KY micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone78%17,391
Carpool12%2,614
Public transit0.3%†74

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 no occupation wages for Glasgow, KY micropolitan area.

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.

Glasgow, KY has 971 employer establishments, 175 for every 10,000 residents (0.70× the US rate of 248), with 14,116 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,517. The Census Bureau also counts 4,552 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 971; 4,552 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 175; US 248
Paid employees: 14,116
Average annual pay: $43,517; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	86	15.5	0.84×About typical	1,866	$19,023	20
Ambulatory health care services	81	14.6	0.70×Fewer than typical	1,057	$64,929	130
Specialty trade contractors	45	8.1	0.52×Fewer than typical	435	$50,543	641
Limited-service restaurants	41	7.4	0.92×About typical	979	$17,461	6
Full-service restaurants	36	6.5	0.84×About typical	881	$20,459	12
Religious organizations	33	5.9	1.07×About typical	111	$21,694	—
Banks and credit unions	31	5.6	1.73×More than typical	375	$62,496	—
Offices of other health practitioners	30	5.4	0.89×About typical	213	$46,554	60
Gasoline stations	28	5	1.55×More than typical	228	$24,298	—
General merchandise stores	27	4.9	2.75×More than typical	687	$26,064	36
Automotive repair and maintenance	26	4.7	0.93×About typical	145	$28,793	124
Building equipment contractors	25	4.5	0.75×Fewer than typical	321	$54,760	105

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 55,579 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $461.3K on contracts performed in Glasgow, KY micropolitan area: $8.21 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $461.3K; −22% vs FY2025
Per resident: $8.21; US $1,994
Sole-source: 7.6%; US 30%
Single offer: 33%; 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$418.4K91%
Department of the Air Force$42.9K9.3%

Top recipients

CHATELIER CONSULTANT GROUP LLC$121.4K26%
T & T CONSTRUCTION ENTERPRISES, LLC$107.2K23%
INTEGRATED SERVICES INC. OF KY$74.3K16%
TOTAL SOLUTION LLC$60.1K13%
D-CO, LEADERS AND TRAINING LLC$42.9K9.3%

Spending by fiscal year

2.5MFY2017
2.6MFY2018
865.2KFY2019
6.9MFY2020
1.9MFY2021
372.5KFY2022
428KFY2023
877.9K

Top industries (NAICS)

Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$216K47%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$107.2K23%
Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$60.1K13%
Other schools and instruction · 6116$42.9K9.3%
Investigation and security services · 5616$35.1K7.6%

Largest awards

BARREN RIVER LAKE HYDRAULIC REPLACEMENT.$299.9K
TOTAL SOLUTION LLC· Barren County, KY· Facilities & utilities· May 20, 2025 – Jun 4, 2026· W912QR25PA016
BARREN RIVER LAKE WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT DECOMMISSIONING$139.8K
MTM ENTERPRISES, LLC· Barren County, KY· Construction & real property· Sep 24, 2025 – Oct 7, 2025· W912QR25PA052
BPA (BLANKET PURCHASE AGREEMENT) THAT WILL PROVIDE ASPHALT SERVICES TO THE BARREN RIVER LAKE AREA.$107.2K
T & T CONSTRUCTION ENTERPRISES, LLC· Barren County, KY· Construction & real property· May 22, 2026 – May 28, 2026· W912QR26FA156
CLEANING SERVICES IDIQ AT BARREN RIVER LAKE

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $339.3M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Glasgow, KY micropolitan area: $6,036 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $339.3M; −1.2% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,036; US $12,955
Loan face value: $22.1M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.3%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$200.5M59%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$47.3M14%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$27.3M8.0%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$22.5M6.6%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$15.4M4.5%
20.287 · Surface Transportation Block Grant Program$5M1.5%
20.265 · Carbon Reduction Program$3.2M0.9%
64.110 · Veterans Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for Service-Connected Death$2.4M0.7%

Top recipients (organizations)

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY$9.1M2.7%
FRANKFORT, KY
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF GLASGOW$3.5M1.0%
GLASGOW, KY
CAVELAND SANITATION AUTHORITY INC$750K0.2%
CAVE CITY, KY
CRIST DAIRY$683.1K0.2%
EDMONTON, KY
CITY OF GLASGOW$644.6K

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$285.7M84%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$31.2M9.2%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$9.1M2.7%
Department of Transportation
Farm Service Agency$3.9M1.1%
Department of Agriculture
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing

Assistance by fiscal year

280.8MFY2021
290.8MFY2022
309.1MFY2023
314.3MFY2024
343.4MFY2025
339.3MFY2026

County aggregates

94%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Glasgow, KY

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

GlasgowPrincipal city15,197

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Kentucky

Areas based in Kentucky, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M23980

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved10

Declined9

Metro and micro areas like Glasgow, KY micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Glasgow, KY

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Kentucky

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved10

Declined9

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought