| ZIP Codes: | 26 ZIP Codes (18 Standard, 8 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Code: | 606 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (GMT -05:00) |
| Local Time: | 2:12:19 PM |
| Population: | 25,822 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 21095 |
| Land Area: | 498 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 3 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 36.8587, -83.2223 |
| Quick Link: |
25,822 residents live across 26 ZIPs covering 498 sq mi, served by 26 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 28,898 to 25,822 from 2014 to 2024 — a -10.6% change. 8 ZIPs gained residents, 18 lost.
The county's wealthiest ZIP 40815 (Cawood, $68,155 median) and poorest ZIP 40830 (Gulston, $21,815) are 4.8 miles apart — a 3.1× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 3.0× across this county — from $44,000 in 40863 (Pathfork) to $132,000 in 40870 (Totz).
Density varies 1428× across the county — from 20 people/sq mi in 40927 (Closplint) to 28,265 in 40807 (Benham).
Educational attainment ranges from 5.9% bachelor's+ in 40873 (Wallins Creek) to 33.3% in 40815 (Cawood) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within Kentucky, this is the #44 most populous of 120 counties and ranks #95 for median household income .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $41,724 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
13.0% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (2,341 of 17,982 reporting).
18 Standard delivery, 8 PO Box only, 0 single-entity Unique ZIPs serve this county.
Median household income spans 3.1× between the wealthiest and poorest ZIPs — a sign of significant intra-county inequality.
Harlan County lost 10.6% of residents between 2014 and 2024. ZIPs that shed the largest share:
| ZIP | City | Type | Population | Median Income | Area (sq mi) | 10-yr Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40831 | Harlan | Standard | 4,789 | $35,404 | 60.7 | -11.3% |
| 40828 | Evarts | Standard | 4,280 | $41,354 | 45.5 | 19.0% |
| 40823 | Cumberland | Standard | 3,742 | $35,402 | 56.6 | -7.5% |
| 40873 | Wallins Creek | Standard | 2,167 | $33,359 | 26.1 | -13.3% |
| 40806 | Baxter | Standard | 1,732 | $59,837 | 23.2 | -30.5% |
| 40810 | Bledsoe | Standard | 1,323 | $40,066 | 61.8 | -9.6% |
| 40824 | Dayhoit | PO Box | 977 | $49,667 | 4.2 | 56.6% |
| 40815 | Cawood | Standard | 811 | $68,155 | 23.6 | -43.6% |
| 40819 | Coldiron | Standard | 808 | $31,799 | 17.7 | 28.1% |
| 40855 | Lynch | PO Box | 744 | $29,891 | 12.0 | -11.5% |
| 40863 | Pathfork | Standard | 706 | $49,578 | 25.4 | 24.5% |
| 40854 | Loyall | PO Box | 675 | $55,250 | 2.4 | -34.4% |
| 40807 | Benham | PO Box | 619 | $49,118 | 0.0 | 65.5% |
| 40927 | Closplint | Standard | 584 | $52,381 | 29.5 | 166.7% |
| 40870 | Totz | Standard | 564 | $51,452 | 13.0 | 63.0% |
| 40865 | Putney | Standard | 426 | $56,820 | 3.8 | -5.8% |
| 40830 | Gulston | Standard | 312 | $21,815 | 6.4 | -9.6% |
| 40818 | Coalgood | Standard | 148 | — | 5.3 | 131.3% |
| 40820 | Cranks | Standard | 121 | — | 25.0 | -69.4% |
| 40964 | Mary Alice | Standard | 101 | — | 0.5 | -52.4% |
| 40829 | Grays Knob | PO Box | 62 | $56,154 | 5.1 | -79.5% |
| 40843 | Holmes Mill | Standard | 48 | — | 14.4 | -84.8% |
| 40847 | Kenvir | PO Box | 41 | — | 0.0 | -84.2% |
| 40849 | Lejunior | PO Box | 34 | — | 0.0 | -90.9% |
| 40808 | Big Laurel | Standard | 8 | — | 35.4 | -80.0% |
| 40801 | Ages Brookside | PO Box | 0 | — | 0.0 | -100.0% |