Scores by category

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

Safety49#470/924
Economy47#495/925
Housing85#142/925
Health20#737/925
Healthcare76#221/923
Environment15#781/917
Education57#402/925
Infrastructure42#535/925
Community68#299/925
Leisure & amenities65#327/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Pharmacies · high3.2 /10k
99/100Kentucky 2.4 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Cost of buying a home today · low20.7%
98/100Kentucky 27.3%United States 34.1%Aug 2026Zillow Research
Child care cost burden · low21.8%
89/100Kentucky 25.2%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Social associations · high15.4 /10k
89/100Kentucky 10.3 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Income adjusted for local prices · high$75,904
84/100Kentucky $64,615United States $73,2042024U.S. Bureau of Economic AnalysisAggregated from counties
Restaurants and bars · high11.7 /10k
84/100Kentucky 8.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Distance to an airport · high128 mi
8/100Kentucky 44 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Comfortable days · low23.0%
9/100Kentucky 23.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Adult smoking · high19.7%
10/100Kentucky 17.6%United States 16.1%2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
High ozone days · high2 days
13/100Kentucky 1 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Firearm deaths · high21.8 /100k
16/100Kentucky 16.9 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Depression · high27.6%
16/100Kentucky 27.4%United States 20.7%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 26% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+26 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
56.6% (2010 & 2021) → 73.8% (2022 & 2024)
+17 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
New business applicationsImproving
7.5 /1k (2020) → 13.2 /1k (2025)
+75%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Income adjusted for local pricesImproving
$50,085 (2019) → $75,904 (2024)
+52%5 yearsUS $55,567 → $73,204
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
77.2% (2015-2019) → 86.9% (2020-2024)
+9.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Mental health providersImproving
222 /100k (2021) → 330 /100k (2025)
+49%4 yearsUS 282 /100k → 348 /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, Paducah, KY-IL metro area improved on 12 of 28 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 10 moved within the margin of error and 4 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.

Improved12

Real income+52%$50,085 → $75,904
Household income+38%$46,584 → $64,160
High school++3.6 points89.0% → 92.6%
New businesses+75%7.5 /1k → 13.2 /1k
Traffic deaths−15%23.4 /100k → 19.8 /100k

Declined2

Grocery stores−20%1.8 /10k → 1.5 /10k
Gyms−10%0.9 /10k → 0.8 /10k

All 28 measures

Change of every measure of Paducah, KY-IL metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.8 /10k2020	4.3 /10k2025	+14%	Improved	64%
Average commute time	19.4 min2015-2019	20.0 min2020-2024	+0.6 min	Within the margin of error	44%
Bachelor's degree or higher	20.8%2015-2019	24.7%2020-2024	+3.9 points	Improved	75%
Broadband subscriptions	77.2%2015-2019	86.9%2020-2024	+9.7 points	Improved	59%
Child poverty rate	22.4%2015-2019	22.0%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Distance to an airport	128 mi2020	128 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	90%
Drug overdose deaths	19.4 /100k2020	14.6 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−25%	Improved	50%
Effective property tax rate	0.70%2015-2019	0.80%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	1%
Firearm deaths	25.9 /100k2020	21.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−16%	Improved	76%
Grocery stores	1.8 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	−20%	Declined	10%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.9 /10k2020	0.8 /10k2025	−10%	Declined	25%
High school diploma or higher	89.0%2015-2019	92.6%2020-2024	+3.6 points	Improved	88%
Home price to income ratio	2.6×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	+0.0×	Within the margin of error	95%
Homicide rate	3.9 /100k2020	4.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+2.6%	Little change	20%
Income adjusted for local prices	$50,0852019	$75,9042024	+52%	Improved	98%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5042015-2019	0.4772020-2024	−0.027	Within the margin of error	94%
Median household income	$46,5842015-2019	$64,1602020-2024	+38%	Improved	92%
New business applications	7.5 /1k2020	13.2 /1k2025	+75%	Improved	83%
Pharmacies	3.3 /10k2020	3.2 /10k2025	−1.8%	Little change	66%
Poverty rate	15.8%2015-2019	15.7%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Public libraries	0.5 /10k2019	0.5 /10k2024	−1.4%	Little change	53%
Public transit commuters	0.5%2015-2019	0.7%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	94%
Rent as share of income	27.7%2015-2019	27.3%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Rent-burdened households	44.8%2015-2019	43.8%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Restaurants and bars	10.8 /10k2020	11.7 /10k2025	+8.4%	Improved	76%
Traffic deaths	23.4 /100k2015-2019	19.8 /100k2020-2024	−15%	Improved	83%
Unemployment rate	7.0%2020	4.6%2025	−2.4 points	Improved	33%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.2%2015-2019	7.4%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	36%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 786 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; 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 Paducah, KY-IL metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Paducah, KY-IL metro 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, Paducah, KY-IL metro area itself moved +1.9 points in standing on average over the same 27 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

102,748 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

41,735 households (±741)

Paducah, KY-IL metro area
United States share

Under $25k19%7,965
$25k–50k21%8,874
$50k–75k16%6,818

Homes

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

Owners and renters

41,735 households (±741)

Paducah, KY-IL metro area
United States share

Own72%30,053
Rent28%11,682

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+2.9 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

45,270 workers (±844)

Paducah, KY-IL metro area
United States share

Drive alone82%37,346
Carpool6.6%2,997
Public transit0.7%†302

Jobs and pay

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

The 10 largest occupations in Paducah, KY-IL employ 12,210 people. 10 pay a median below the US median.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Paducah, KY-IL by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Retail Salespersons1,800 jobs	1,800	$28,390US $35,410	−20%	1.43×
Registered Nurses1,720 jobs	1,720	$79,920US $97,550	−18%	1.57×
General and Operations Managers1,440 jobs	1,440	$75,470US $105,770	−29%	1.27×
Cashiers1,400 jobs	1,400	$28,550US $32,880	−13%	1.4×
Fast Food and Counter Workers1,160 jobs	1,160	$27,640US $31,200	−11%	0.93×
Sailors and Marine Oilers1,070 jobs	1,070	$47,550US $51,520	−8%	105×
Waiters and Waitresses1,010 jobs	1,010	$29,280US $35,230	−17%	1.37×
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand940 jobs	940	$38,110US $40,240	−5%	0.99×
Customer Service Representatives860 jobs	860	$36,460US $44,770	−19%	1.03×
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants810 jobs	810	$38,340US $45,930	−17%	2.6×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Paducah, KY-IL.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

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.

Paducah, KY-IL has 2,649 employer establishments, 258 for every 10,000 residents (1.04× the US rate of 248), with 41,520 paid employees at an average annual pay of $53,301. The Census Bureau also counts 7,413 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,649; 7,413 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 258; US 248
Paid employees: 41,520
Average annual pay: $53,301; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	245	23.9	1.15×About typical	3,198	$79,831	431
Restaurants and other eating places	216	21.1	1.15×About typical	4,456	$19,983	33
Specialty trade contractors	150	14.6	0.94×About typical	1,861	$70,202	612
Religious organizations	126	12.3	2.21×More than typical	761	$23,809	—
Limited-service restaurants	102	9.9	1.24×About typical	2,104	$18,254	8
Full-service restaurants	85	8.3	1.08×About typical	1,917	$21,567	16
Offices of physicians	82	8	1.23×About typical	1,464	$112,640	60
Automotive repair and maintenance	74	7.2	1.43×More than typical	396	$42,159	137
Building equipment contractors	71	6.9	1.15×About typical	1,461	$75,415	115
Lessors of real estate	70	6.8	0.55×Fewer than typical	184	$45,663	683
Banks and credit unions	57	5.6	1.72×More than typical	586	$62,879	—
Clothing and accessories stores	57	5.6	1.53×More than typical	641	$18,134	63

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 102,558 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 $15.3M on contracts performed in Paducah, KY-IL metro area: $150 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $15.3M; −75% vs FY2025
Per resident: $150; US $1,995
Sole-source: 12%; US 30%
Single offer: 17%; 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$10.6M69%
Department of Energy$2.4M16%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$1.6M11%
Department of Veterans Affairs$454.8K3.0%
Federal Acquisition Service$140.5K0.9%
Social Security Administration$23K0.2%
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration$18.6K0.1%
U.S. Coast Guard$14.8K0.1%

Top recipients

THALLE CONSTRUCTION CO INC$5.3M34%
FOUR RIVERS NUCLEAR PARTNERSHIP LLC$2.4M16%
FISH GUIDANCE SYSTEMS LIMITED$1.6M11%
BCI CONSTRUCTION USA, INC.$1.5M10.0%
ALEUT FLOOD MANAGEMENT, LLC$752.8K4.9%

Spending by fiscal year

212.2MFY2017
164.5MFY2018
117.6MFY2019
82.6MFY2020
233.4MFY2021
289.9MFY2022
95.7MFY2023
65.6M

Top industries (NAICS)

Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$7.2M47%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$3.3M21%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$2.4M16%
Ship and boat building · 3366$455.4K3.0%
Facilities support services · 5612$372.8K2.4%
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$329.9K

Part of this section could not be loaded in time.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 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 $916.8M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Paducah, KY-IL metro area: $8,966 per resident (US $12,957).

Assistance · FY2026: $916.8M; +14% vs FY2025
Per resident: $8,966; US $12,957
Loan face value: $35M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.6%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$447.7M49%
81.121 · Nuclear Energy Research, Development and Demonstration$187.5M20%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$78.6M8.6%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$53.5M5.8%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$52.1M5.7%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$22.7M2.5%
57.001 · Social Insurance for Railroad Workers$9.8M1.1%
10.990 · Farmer Bridge Assistance Program$6.6M0.7%

Top recipients (organizations)

HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC$187.5M20%
CHARLOTTE, NC
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF PADUCAH$7M0.8%
PADUCAH, KY
WEST KENTUCKY COMMUNITY & TECHNICAL COLLEGE$6.1M0.7%
PADUCAH, KY
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY$5.6M0.6%
FRANKFORT, KY
BARKLEY REGIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY

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$601.1M66%
Department of Energy$187.9M20%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$61.8M6.7%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Farm Service Agency$12.7M1.4%
Department of Agriculture
Railroad Retirement Board$9.8M1.1%

Assistance by fiscal year

744.8MFY2021
667.1MFY2022
713MFY2023
739.3MFY2024
806.8MFY2025
916.8MFY2026

County aggregates

73%

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 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Paducah, KY-IL

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

States

The share of the area's residents living in each state.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

PaducahPrincipal city26,845

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
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M37140

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved12

Declined2

Metro and micro areas like Paducah, KY-IL metro 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

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Paducah, KY-IL

States

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

Improved12

Declined2

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

Look up any occupation

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)

What was bought