City profile · Kentucky · Census ACS 2023

South Carrollton, KY

South Carrollton's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

180
Residents
$40,192
Median income
$115,200
Median home
$984
Median rent (state)
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State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for South Carrollton.

Place dossier plate

Sheet KY-SOUTH-CARROLLTON-KY · South Carrollton, KY 180 pop · income 8th pct

POP-VILLAGE · INC-LOW · COL-BELOW · SAFE-UNK · RANK-BOTTOM · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-LOW · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-VILLAGE 180
  • INC-LOW $40,192
  • COL-BELOW 90.2
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-BOTTOM 8th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Cornelia
  • HOME-LOW $115,200
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Cornelia, GA (+ $0 income $)

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 South Carrollton

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest South Carrollton on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

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.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for South Carrollton on ACS population and median household income . 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: 180.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $40,192. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

South Carrollton - the verdict

Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, South Carrollton lands in the 8th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

8th
percentile, household income
15th
percentile, home value
10th
percentile, median rent
📝 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: South Carrollton, KY

Census ACS 2023 estimates count 180 residents in South Carrollton, a small town within Kentucky. Households in South Carrollton report a median income of $40,192 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 10.6%. Home values in South Carrollton run a median of $115,200, and the median resident age is 55.3 years. About 6.3% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 40.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

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). The average commute for South Carrollton workers runs 15.6 minutes, with 67.2% driving alone and 32.8% working from home. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 44.2 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Low).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of South Carrollton'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 comparison shortlist to housing and income to work and mobility to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For South Carrollton, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, commute-mode shares. No matched row is reported here for local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

1. Comparison shortlist

Which cities make useful reference points for South Carrollton?

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.

Within Kentucky, the closest population matches are Beech Grove (180 residents, $145,121 income); Berry (184 residents, $66,000 income); LaFayette (176 residents, $50,833 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Faunsdale, AL (180 residents); Glenwood, AL (180 residents); Ruby, AK (180 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.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

2. Housing and income

How far does income reach against housing in South Carrollton?

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. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.

The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 2.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 10.6%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Question 3

What does the journey to work look like in South Carrollton?

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 67.2%. The reported mean trip to work is 15.6 minutes.

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.

Compare commute patterns →

Question 4

Is South Carrollton growing, shrinking, or holding steady?

Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -1 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -0.7% 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.

The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.

See the national growth ranking →

Population

180 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$40,192 /yr

Lowest-decile income · poverty 10.6% (Above-median poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

90.2 (US=100)

Affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Kentucky average

City profile score · South Carrollton, KY

33/100

4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023

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.

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.

Poverty rate F
10.6%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Household income F
$40,192

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Bachelor's+ share F
6.3%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

South Carrollton profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Cost of living, Poverty rate, Household income, Bachelor's+ share. Cost of livingPoverty rateHousehold incomeBachelor's+ share 33 F
South Carrollton profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Cost of living: 85/100 (A) · 90.2 index
  • Poverty rate: 37/100 (F) · 10.6%
  • Household income: 7/100 (F) · $40,192
  • Bachelor's+ share: 0/100 (F) · 6.3%

How does South Carrollton compare to other US cities?

Where South Carrollton sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 8% higher than other cities
Home value 15% pricier than other cities
Median rent 10% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares South Carrollton 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 South Carrollton near the bottom of Kentucky's cities

Among the 520 Kentucky cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, South Carrollton ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares South Carrollton only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#374 of 485
23rd percentile in Kentucky
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 520
0th percentile in Kentucky
Median Home Value
#320 of 484
34th percentile in Kentucky
Poverty Rate
#269 of 519
48th percentile in Kentucky
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#449 of 520
14th 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.

8thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

8th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How South Carrollton's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$115,200 Among the most affordable more affordable than 85% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). This entry sits in this band. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Above this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. South Carrollton $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

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

South Carrollton's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.9×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#5,947 of 15,516
More affordable than 62% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#5,123 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 2.9×, South Carrollton sits in the affordable band: national rank #5,947 of 15,516 and #5,123 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

$40,192 South Carrollton, KY median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - South Carrollton, KY South Carrollton, KY's median household income ($40,192) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not South Carrollton, KY-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution South Carrollton, KY median $40,192/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
South Carrollton, 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 South Carrollton, KY.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 6.3%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 10.6%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 40.0%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
180
Median Income
$40,192
Median Home Value
$115,200
Median Age
55.3
Poverty Rate
10.6%
Labor force participation
40.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
6.3%

Population Change

PEP vintage

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
141 residents142 residents143 residents144 residents145 residents 202020212022202320242025 144 residents 143 residents ▼ -0.7%
South Carrollton's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Read the chart as text
Period Population
2020 144 residents
2021 143 residents
2022 142 residents
2023 143 residents
2024 143 residents
2025 143 residents

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
15.6 minutes
Drive Alone
67.2%
Carpool
0.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
32.8%

Based on 58 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 South Carrollton. 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 South Carrollton 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 South Carrollton sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How South Carrollton 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.

City Population Median Household Income
South Carrollton (this city) 180 $40,192
Beech Grove 180 $145,121
Berry 184 $66,000
LaFayette 176 $50,833
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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