McCreary County, Kentucky: commercial real estate data.
McCreary County, Kentucky has a population of 16,867 across 427 square miles, down 0.4 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $348.9 m in 2024, 157 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 1 7(a) approvals worth $999,900.
107 sourced county values · tier FULL · 10 sections · underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency
McCreary County
How many people live in McCreary County
- Population16,867
- Households5,861
- Average household size2.88
- Median household income$33,750
- Median age39.0
- Median gross rent$577 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$85,300
- Home value to household income2.5 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income20.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher8.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree3.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over11,910
- Population under 183,672
- Share under 1821.8 percent
- Population 65 and over2,737
- Share 65 and over16.2 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6410,458
- Civilian labor force4,799
- Unemployment rate4.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over36.4 percent
- Rank by population among Kentucky counties68th of 120
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2046th
McCreary County is the 68th largest of 120 Kentucky counties by population. A median home costs 2.5 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 21.8 percent against 16.2 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
McCreary County
Is McCreary County's population growing?
- Population change since the 2020 census base-0.37 percent
- Census 2020 base population16,887
- Births, 2024186
- Deaths, 2024279
- Natural change, 2024-93
- Net domestic migration, 2024-154
- Net international migration, 20242
- Total net migration, 2024-152
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024286
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1974th
The county has lost 0.37 percent of its population since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
McCreary County
Where are people moving to McCreary County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving229
- People arriving, from those returns447
- Adjusted gross income arriving$7.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$31,843
- Largest single originMcCreary County Non-migrants (4,165 households)
- Largest single destination (4,165 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| McCreary County Non-migrants | 4,165 | 9,799 | $174.7 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 87 | 146 | $3.2 m |
| Other flows - South | 55 | 96 | $2.1 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 45 | 100 | $1.2 m |
| Pulaski County | 44 | 89 | $1.4 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 32 | 50 | $1.0 m |
| Scott County | 29 | 59 | $857,000 |
| Whitley County | 24 | 53 | $698,000 |
The largest single source of arrivals is McCreary County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
McCreary County
What is the McCreary County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$348.9 m
- County GDP, 2023$329.3 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20246.0 percent
- GDP change over five years23.0 percent
- Rank by GDP among Kentucky counties90th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2629th
- GDP per resident$20,684
Output grew 6.0 percent in the latest year and 23.0 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
McCreary County
Largest employers in McCreary County
- Covered employment, annual average2,873
- Establishments reporting303
- Average annual pay$46,870
- Average weekly wage$901
- Sector 31-33, employment351
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$45,118
- Sector 44-45, employment327
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$30,893
- Sector 72, employment223
- Sector 72, average annual pay$14,769
- Sector 56, employment39
- Sector 56, average annual pay$53,463
- Sector 54, employment30
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 351 | 14 | $45,118 |
| Sector 44-45 | 327 | 48 | $30,893 |
| Sector 72 | 223 | 23 | $14,769 |
| Sector 56 | 39 | 6 | $53,463 |
| Sector 54 | 30 | 16 | $37,737 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 351 jobs, 12.2 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job exceeds median household income, which usually means single earner households and a wage base that can carry rent.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
McCreary County
How many businesses are in McCreary County?
- Establishments, all industries157
- Employment at those establishments1,522
- Annual payroll$50.5 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents9.3
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
McCreary County
Building permits in McCreary County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20240
- Declared construction value permitted$0
- Single family units authorised0
- Multifamily units authorised0
No residential units were authorised by permit in 2024. In a small county this is common and is not by itself a sign of distress, but it does mean there is no recent residential pipeline to read demand from.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
McCreary County
SBA loans in McCreary County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded1
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$999,900
- Average 7(a) approval$999,900
- Median 7(a) approval$999,900
- 10th percentile approval$999,900
- 90th percentile approval$999,900
- Largest single approval$999,900
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)29
- Jobs per approval29.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active1
- Distinct industries receiving approvals1
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer0.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms0
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter1
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countSawmills (1)
- Most active lenderUnited Cumberland Bank (1)
- 504 approvals recorded1
- 504 gross approval dollars$1.3 m
- Average 504 approval$1,341,000
- Median 504 approval$1,341,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval40.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved29.8
- Most active CDCCommunity Ventures Corporation (1)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals50.0 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$2.3 m
The average approval of $999,900 sits close to the median of $999,900, so lending here is fairly evenly sized rather than driven by a few large deals. Only 0.0 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
McCreary County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in McCreary County
Do SBA loans in McCreary County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 0 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
McCreary County
How large is McCreary County?
- Land area427 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Kentucky counties26th of 120
- Width, east to west30.5 mi
- Height, north to south25.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land40
- Establishments per square mile0.37
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a McCreary County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a McCreary County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population16,867
- Households5,861
- Average household size2.88
- Median household income$33,750
- Median age39.0
Common questions
McCreary County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in McCreary County, Kentucky?
16,867, in 5,861 households, ranking 68th of 120 Kentucky counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is McCreary County's population growing?
The population has fallen 0.37 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 186 births against 279 deaths, with net migration of -152. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in McCreary County?
$33,750. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $85,300, which is 2.5 times income, and median gross rent is $577 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in McCreary County?
157 establishments, employing 1,522 people with an annual payroll of $50.5 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in McCreary County?
Average annual pay is $46,870, or $901 a week, across 2,873 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in McCreary County?
1 7(a) approvals totalling $999,900 since FY2020, across 1 lenders, with a median approval of $999,900, plus 1 504 approvals worth $1.3 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in McCreary County?
No residential units were authorised by permit in 2024. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for McCreary County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to McCreary County come from?
The largest single origin is McCreary County Non-migrants, with 4,165 households. Arriving households report an average income of $31,843 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for McCreary County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for McCreary County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.
McCreary County
Cities and places in McCreary.
3 Census places lie wholly or partly in McCreary County. 3 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked. The rest are named here and not linked, because the American Community Survey and the SBA record between them do not carry enough about them to write an honest page. A place existing is itself worth knowing, so nothing in the county is left out.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA approvals | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stearns | CDP | 1,271 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Pine Knot | CDP | 1,051 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Whitley City | CDP | 963 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 1 SBA approvals in McCreary County are recorded against borrower cities that match no Census place, the largest being Whitley City (Rr Name Whitley). Those are postal cities and unincorporated areas rather than incorporated places, so no page claims them, and their lending is counted in this county's totals above rather than under any city.