Population
1,509 residents
Census ACS 2023 - Kentucky
City profile · Kentucky · Census ACS 2023
Stearns, KY
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Stearns - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 1,509
- Residents
- $36,964
- Median income
- $866
- Median rent (state)
Stearns - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Stearns lands in the 6th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.
- 6th
- percentile, household income
- 1st
- 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: Stearns, KY
Kentucky's Stearns is a small town, with 1,509 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Median household income here is $36,964 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 45.4%. The median resident age is 36.9 years. 29.0% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 45.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 54.9°F with 56.1 inches of precipitation per year.
Living costs in Kentucky run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Kentucky at 90.2 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Below Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $866 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Kentucky run around $225, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 25.3 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very Low).
Median Household Income
$36,964 /yr
Poverty 45.4%
Cost of Living Index (state)
90.2 (US=100)
Well Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, Kentucky average
How does Stearns compare to other US cities?
Stearns measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income 6% higher than other cities
Median rent 1% 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
For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Stearns's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in Kentucky, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.
6th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Income distribution context
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 29.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 45.4%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 45.9%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,509
Median Income
$36,964
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
36.9
Poverty Rate
45.4%
Labor force participation
45.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
29.0%
Climate
Avg Temperature
54.9°F
Annual Precipitation
56.1"
Annual Snowfall
N/A
Schools
Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
83.2%
Carpool
6.3%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
10.5%
Based on 525 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for Kentucky - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$115
avg/month
Natural Gas
$70
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$40
avg/month
Total Utilities
$225
estimated/month
Estimates reflect Kentucky state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a Kentucky state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Stearns sits in
Cost of Living Index
90.2
Well Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$866/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
25.3 / 100
Very Low
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in Kentucky
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Stearns's 1,509 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide
Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Stearns's $36,964 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Stearns compares to nearby Kentucky cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
| City | Population | Median Household Income |
|---|---|---|
| Stearns (this city) | 1,509 | $36,964 |
| Augusta | 1,514 | $43,854 |
| Olive Hill | 1,488 | $69,063 |
| South Shore | 1,561 | $29,000 |
Census ACS 5-year FIPS KY NOAA Normals NCES CCD OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Stearns, KY?
What is the population of Stearns, KY? +
The population of Stearns, KY stands at 1,509 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Stearns, KY? +
The median household income in Stearns is $36,964 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Stearns? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Stearns; the closest available measure is the Kentucky state average, a cost of living index of 90.2 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Well Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Kentucky vary by metro area.
What is the climate like in Stearns? +
Climate normals put Stearns's yearly average temperature at 54.9°F, 56.1 inches of precipitation. Source: NOAA Climate Normals.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCitiesEvery 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.