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Place dossier plate
SheetKY-HORSE-CAVE-KY · Horse Cave, KY 2,348 pop · income 23rd pct · 6 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Horse Cave
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Horse Cave on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Harlan · lowest
30,365
Harlan · lowest
30,365 median HH income
14.1% of the leader · rank #1
Horse Cave · this city
51,927
Horse Cave · this city
51,927 median HH income
24.1% of the leader · rank #2
Zephyrhills N… · near
51,932
Zephyrhills N… · near
51,932 median HH income
24.1% of the leader · rank #3
Cobbtown · near
51,932
Cobbtown · near
51,932 median HH income
24.1% of the leader · rank #4
Cooperstown · near
51,932
Cooperstown · near
51,932 median HH income
24.1% of the leader · rank #5
New Waterford · near
51,932
New Waterford · near
51,932 median HH income
24.1% of the leader · rank #6
Anchorage · highest
215,156
Anchorage · highest
215,156 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Horse Cave on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 2,348.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Horse Cave - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Horse Cave places in the 23rd percentile for household income and the 96th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
23rd
percentile, household income
7th
percentile, home value
10th
percentile, median rent
96th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Horse Cave, KY
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 2,348 residents in Horse Cave, a small town within Kentucky. The typical household in Horse Cave brings in $51,927 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 21.1%. Typical homes in Horse Cave are valued around $93,600, and the median resident age is 47.1 years. About 9.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 38.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Horse Cave reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR figures show 176.1 crimes per 100,000 residents, below the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Kentucky run below the national norm: the state registers 90.2 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Well Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $984 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Kentucky's average monthly utility costs around $225 (state average). FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 44.2 out of 100 (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Horse Cave's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from population change to schools and households to housing and income to comparison shortlist to reported crime to within-city variation to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Horse Cave, city-specific coverage includes within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, annual population history.
No matched row is reported here for local building permits; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Population change
Is Horse Cave growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +59 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +2.7% change. No comparable local building-permit series is available here, so population change should not be read as a housing-supply measure. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
What does the education layer cover for Horse Cave?
The NCES join finds 3 public schools within the city match. 9.4% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Which cities make useful reference points for Horse Cave?
Within Kentucky, the closest population matches are Fulton (2,345 residents, $36,037 income); Elk Creek (2,344 residents, $127,487 income); Carlisle (2,356 residents, $46,292 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Webster County, GA (2,348 residents); New Chicago, IN (2,348 residents); Centreville, MS (2,348 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
What can 6 Census tracts reveal inside Horse Cave?
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Horse Cave?
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 1.8 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 21.1%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.
Household income
$51,927
Home value
$93,600
Value / income
1.8×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Horse Cave?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 176.1 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 92% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
176.1
Violent rate
0.0
Total reported rate
176.1
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
What does the journey to work look like in Horse Cave?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 84.5%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
0.0%
Work from home
6.3%
Drive alone
84.5%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 760 workers age 16+.
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Violent crime A+
0 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living A
90.2 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Household income F
$51,927
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
21.1%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
9.4%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Horse Cave profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Violent crime: 97/100 (A+) · 0 /100k
Cost of living: 85/100 (A) · 90.2 index
Household income: 23/100 (F) · $51,927
Poverty rate: 11/100 (F) · 21.1%
Bachelor's+ share: 5/100 (F) · 9.4%
Where Horse Cave sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Horse Cave's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Horse Cave highlighted among 26 peers.Read the chart values
Horse Cave, KY (this city): home $93,600, crime 176/100k
Fulton, KY : home $61,200, crime 3,001/100k
Carlisle, KY : home $103,300, crime 236/100k
Harlan, KY : home $112,500, crime 937/100k
Hardinsburg, KY : home $128,400, crime 648/100k
Anchorage, KY : home $827,000, crime 649/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Horse Cave compare to other US cities?
Horse Cave measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income23% higher than other cities
Home value7% pricier than other cities
Median rent10% pricier than other cities
Safety96% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Kentucky, Horse Cave ranks #22 of 181 Kentucky cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Horse Cave against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Kentucky only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Kentucky-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Horse Cave near the bottom of Kentucky's cities
Among the 520 Kentucky cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Horse Cave ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Horse Cave only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#269 of 485
45th percentile in Kentucky
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 520
0th percentile in Kentucky
Median Home Value
#399 of 484
18th percentile in Kentucky
Poverty Rate
#132 of 519
74th percentile in Kentucky
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#399 of 520
23rd percentile in Kentucky
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Kentucky only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
23rd percentile nationally for median household income · 96th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Horse Cave's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Horse Cave's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Horse Cave's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$93,600Among the most affordablemore affordable than 93% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Horse Cave's home-value-to-income ratio: 1.8×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#1,008 of 15,516
More affordable than 94% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#976 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 1.8×, Horse Cave sits in the affordable band:
national rank #1,008 of 15,516 and #976 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$51,927Horse Cave, KY median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Horse Cave, KY median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Horse Cave, KY.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)9.4%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)21.1%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)38.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
2,348
Median Income
$51,927
Median Home Value
$93,600
Median Age
47.1
Poverty Rate
21.1%
Labor force participation
38.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
9.4%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
176.1
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
0.0
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
176.1
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Horse Cave's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
2,217 residents
2021
2,224 residents
2022
2,236 residents
2023
2,251 residents
2024
2,260 residents
2025
2,276 residents
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
84.5%
Carpool
6.4%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
2.1%
Work from Home
6.3%
Other
0.7%
Based on 760 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Kentucky statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $225
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Kentucky at $225 (electricity about $115 , water and sewer about $40 ).
These are Kentucky statewide averages, not a meter reading for Horse Cave. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Kentucky's BEA cost-of-living index is 90.2 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Horse Cave is $984/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Kentucky statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 44.2 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Kentucky statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Horse Cave sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Horse Cave compares to similar-size Kentucky cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.