| ZIP Codes: | 7 ZIP Codes (5 Standard, 2 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Code: | 606 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (GMT -05:00) |
| Local Time: | 11:53:38 PM |
| Population: | 16,335 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 21147 |
| Land Area: | 401 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 4 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 36.7294, -84.4537 |
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16,335 residents live across 7 ZIPs covering 401 sq mi, served by 7 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 17,777 to 16,335 from 2014 to 2024 — a -8.1% change. 3 ZIPs gained residents, 4 lost.
The county's wealthiest ZIP 42653 (Whitley City, $42,656 median) and poorest ZIP 42638 (Revelo , $11,595) are 6.8 miles apart — a 3.7× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 3.9× across this county — from $27,800 in 42638 (Revelo ) to $109,200 in 42653 (Whitley City).
Density varies 11× across the county — from 19 people/sq mi in 42634 (Parkers Lake) to 197 in 42635 (Pine Knot).
Educational attainment ranges from 4.1% bachelor's+ in 42635 (Pine Knot) to 17.4% in 42647 (Stearns) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within Kentucky, this is the #69 most populous of 120 counties and ranks #118 for median household income .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $33,008 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
8.7% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (1,010 of 11,617 reporting).
5 Standard delivery, 2 PO Box only, 0 single-entity Unique ZIPs serve this county.
Median household income spans 3.7× between the wealthiest and poorest ZIPs — a sign of significant intra-county inequality.
Mccreary County lost 8.1% of residents between 2014 and 2024. ZIPs that shed the largest share:
| ZIP | City | Type | Population | Median Income | Area (sq mi) | 10-yr Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42635 | Pine Knot | Standard | 4,736 | $24,412 | 24.1 | 0.4% |
| 42653 | Whitley City | Standard | 4,300 | $42,656 | 89.8 | -0.4% |
| 42647 | Stearns | Standard | 3,349 | $31,927 | 125.7 | -11.8% |
| 42649 | Strunk | Standard | 2,003 | $38,382 | 73.2 | -36.7% |
| 42634 | Parkers Lake | Standard | 1,646 | $31,250 | 88.1 | 4.2% |
| 42638 | Revelo | PO Box | 235 | $11,595 | 0.0 | 97.5% |
| 42631 | Marshes Siding | PO Box | 66 | — | 0.0 | -21.4% |