Map the Block › Places › Kentucky › Harlan County
What are the crime rate and median income in Harlan County, Kentucky?
Harlan County averaged 0.36 reported violent crimes per 1,000 residents a year in 2021-2025, 84% lower than the Kentucky rate (2.3). Median household income is $41,693 and the unemployment rate was 5.9% in August 2026. It is home to roughly 25,772 residents.
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2021-2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Unemployment: BLS August 2026. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income · hazard risk · Superfund · dams
What is the crime rate in Harlan County?
From 2021 through 2025, Harlan County averaged 9 reported violent crimes a year, along with 66 property crimes. Per 1,000 residents, the violent-crime rate works out to 0.36: 84% lower than the Kentucky rate (2.3), and 90% lower than the national rate (3.7). Property crime ran at 2.6 per 1,000, against 14.6 statewide. With this few incidents, one or two cases move the rate a lot from year to year. CDC death records show about 1 homicide deaths a year in the county (5.4 per 100,000), a count that includes cases police may classify differently.
| Offense (yearly average, 2021-2025) | Harlan County | Per 1,000 | Kentucky per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 9 | 0.36 | 2.3 | 3.7 |
| Murder | 0 | 0.00 | 0.06 | 0.06 |
| Rape | 1 | 0.04 | 0.36 | 0.40 |
| Robbery | 1 | 0.04 | 0.39 | 0.62 |
| Aggravated assault | 8 | 0.32 | 1.5 | 2.6 |
| Property crime | 66 | 2.6 | 14.6 | 18.1 |
| Burglary | 22 | 0.89 | 2.3 | 2.4 |
| Larceny-theft | 33 | 1.3 | 10.0 | 13.0 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 10 | 0.39 | 2.4 | 2.6 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. County figures add up the city police and sheriff reports in the county (7 agencies; 98% of residents covered).
What is the median household income in Harlan County?
The median household in Harlan County earns $41,693 a year, 35% lower than the Kentucky median ($63,726). The typical owner-occupied home is valued at $73,700 by its owners; renters pay a median $678. 26.5% of households received SNAP benefits in the past year (state: 13.2%). The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 5.9% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 447 people out of work and looking.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Harlan County | Kentucky | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 25,772 | 4,534,824 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $41,693 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $73,700 | $205,600 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $678 | $967 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 9.5% | 4.9% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 27.4% | 16.1% | 12.5% |
| Households receiving SNAP (food stamps) | 26.5% | 13.2% | 12.1% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 13.0% | 27.6% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 71.6% | 68.3% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 40.9 | 39.1 | 38.9 |
| Households with broadband internet | 84.2% | 88.6% | 91.0% |
| People without health insurance | 4.9% | 6.0% | 8.4% |
What natural hazards and environmental sites are in Harlan County?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk for Harlan County as “Relatively Low”. No single hazard among floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat waves, earthquakes and hurricanes is rated higher than “Relatively Moderate”. The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Superfund sites
EPA lists 1 active Superfund site (final or proposed) in Harlan County: National Electric Coil Co./Cooper Industries. A listing means EPA is managing a long-term cleanup; it does not by itself mean anyone is exposed today.
High-hazard dams
Harlan County has 9 dams classed as high hazard in the National Inventory of Dams. 1 is rated Poor or Unsatisfactory in condition, 2 Satisfactory or Fair. Tallest on the list: Abner Fork Dam (700 ft) and Half Mile Dam (545 ft). “High hazard” describes what lies downstream (people would probably die if the dam failed), not how likely the dam is to fail.
Disasters, air and water
Harlan County was covered by 10 federal major disaster declarations from 2016 through 2025 (Severe Storm 4, Flood 4, Tropical Storm 1), not counting COVID-19. Of 15 community water systems, 1 had an open health-based drinking-water violation in EPA's records (September 2026). EPA puts the county in radon zone 2 (moderate). NHTSA counted 4 traffic deaths in the county in 2024.
Is there road construction in Harlan County?
Harlan County had 1 highway work zone in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (active that day). Roads listed: KY-522. The map's construction layer is refreshed every morning.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in Harlan County?
Federal school lists show 15 public and 2 private schools in the county. 2 nursing homes are certified by Medicare or Medicaid here; star ratings for each are on the map and on Medicare's Care Compare. USGS mapping shows 19 fire or EMS stations and 8 police or sheriff stations. 2 state parks or recreation areas: E. Lucy Braun State Park and Kingdom Come State Park.
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Harlan County
Gun shops
3 gun shops with a public storefront are on the map in Harlan County, plus 9 more licensed dealers without a public storefront (not shown). One of them is a pawnshop licensed to sell guns. On the ATF list: Harlan Pawn Shop (Harlan), Mountain Outdoors (Baxter) and Walmart #1743 (Harlan).
Liquor stores
3 liquor stores are on the map in Harlan County: 1603 Liquors (Cumberland), Pine Mountain Wine & Spirits (Harlan) and Shelbys Liquor (Cumberland). Kentucky has no complete public liquor licence list we can use, so this count also draws on OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps and may miss some stores or include closed ones.
Planned Parenthood
There is no Planned Parenthood health center in Harlan County on the map.
See them on the map: gun shops · liquor stores →
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official; partial in some states); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in Harlan County?
Harlan County averaged 9 reported violent crimes a year in 2021-2025, or 0.36 per 1,000 residents, 84% lower than the Kentucky rate (2.3). The property-crime rate was 2.6 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in Harlan County?
$41,693 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024 average), compared with $63,726 for Kentucky and $80,734 nationally.
What is the unemployment rate in Harlan County?
The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 5.9% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 447 people out of work and looking.
What natural hazards affect Harlan County?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk for Harlan County as “Relatively Low”. No single hazard among floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat waves, earthquakes and hurricanes is rated higher than “Relatively Moderate”.
Are there Superfund sites in Harlan County?
EPA lists 1 active Superfund site (final or proposed) in Harlan County: National Electric Coil Co./Cooper Industries.
Is there road construction in Harlan County right now?
Harlan County had 1 highway work zone in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (active that day). Roads listed: KY-522.
How many nursing homes are in Harlan County?
2 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes (CMS provider data, September 2026).
How does Harlan County compare with neighboring counties?
| County | Population | Violent crimes per 1,000 (2021-25) | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bell County | 23,509 | 1.5 | $31,354 |
| Lee County, VA | 21,900 | 1.8 | $41,827 |
| Leslie County | 10,079 | 0.33 | $35,934 |
| Letcher County | 20,808 | 0.09 | $41,793 |
| Perry County | 27,499 | 1.0 | $42,181 |
| Wise County, VA | 35,448 | 1.9 | $52,943 |
More: Kentucky statewide numbers · Sex-offender registry search (U.S. Justice Department, NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting 2021-2025 (agency level, Return A), averaged and summed by county by Map the Block; Census population; state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes 2021-2025.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables.
- Monthly unemployment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), county data, not seasonally adjusted. Public domain.
- Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores; disasters: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026). Chemical releases: U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory, reporting year 2024 (basic data file).
- Air and water: U.S. EPA AirData, annual AQI by county 2024; EPA Air Quality Design Values 2023-2025 (June 2026); U.S. EPA SDWIS via ECHO drinking-water download (September 30, 2026). Traffic deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024; Census population.
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026). Stations: U.S. Geological Survey, National Structures Dataset (Fire Stations/EMS Stations), October 2026 pull.
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
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