Moving to McDowell
Floyd County loses about 9.1 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.
Where people come from and where they go, top counties
Within Kentucky, other states or abroad
Income per tax return
People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Floyd County; flows under 20 returns are not published.
- Who moves here
- 3.6% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state. County figure.
- Who arrives and who leaves
- Households moving into Floyd County report $36,300 a year in income on average; those leaving, $43,800, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
- Income you would need
- $26,900 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
- Rent or buy
- Median rent is $672 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,189 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $98,700.
- Getting to work
- 27 minutes each way on average; 0.0% work from home.
- If it is close but not quite
- Cambridge, OH matches it on character. Compare the two
All 5 moving measures
| Measure | McDowell | Among 6,645 places | Vs median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moved here in the past year1County figure | 3.6% | 38% below | |
| Moved from another state1 | 0.0% | below (median 2.0%) | |
| Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure | -9.1 | below (median -0.6) | |
| Income of households moving in6County figure | $36,342 | 49% below | |
| Income of households moving out6County figure | $43,822 | 38% below |
What it costs to live here
Home price to income is 2.4x, 37% below the median place.
Could you afford it?
Uses the median rent in McDowell, $672 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.
Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in McDowell.
All 15 cost and housing measures
| Measure | McDowell | Among 6,645 places | Vs median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median gross rent1County figure | $672 | 51% below | |
| Rent to income1 | 19.5% | 4% below | |
| Property tax rate1 | 0.8% | 16% below | |
| Home price to income1 | 2.4x | 37% below | |
| Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure | $925 | 43% below | |
| HUD area median income3County figure | $60,700 | 43% below | |
| Property tax paid (median)1County figure | $748 | 77% below | |
| Median home value1County figure | $98,700 | 69% below | |
| Home prices, 1-year change4County figure | -1.1% | below (median 3.2%) | |
| Home prices, 5-year change4County figure | 27.3% | 47% below | |
| Homeownership1 | 60.4% | 9% below | |
| Renters paying 30%+1County figure | 43.5% | 14% below | |
| Owner costs with a mortgage1County figure | $1,189 | 36% below | |
| Vacant homes1County figure | 16.0% | 127% above | |
| Median year built1 | 1977 | 0% below |
Work and pay
Poverty rate is 72.4%, above the median place (median 10.8%).
All 10 work and pay measures
| Measure | McDowell | Among 6,645 places | Vs median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income1County figure | $41,279 | 49% below | |
| Income per person1 | $9,664 | 76% below | |
| Unemployment1County figure | 7.7% | 57% above | |
| Average annual pay5County figure | $49,128 | 26% below | |
| Pay growth, 1 year5County figure | 3.5% | 5% below | |
| Jobs5County figure | 11,099 | 93% below | |
| Poverty rate1 | 72.4% | above (median 10.8%) | |
| Mean commute1County figure | 27 min | 9% above | |
| Works from home1 | 0.0% | below (median 12.4%) | |
| Commutes by transit1 | 0.0% | below (median 0.8%) |
Who lives here
Born abroad is 0.0%, below the median place (median 8.8%).
All 8 people measures
| Measure | McDowell | Among 6,645 places | Vs median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population1 | 718 | 6646th largest | |
| Median age1County figure | 42.8 | 10% above | |
| Bachelor's or higher1County figure | 15.3% | 52% below | |
| High school or higher1 | 82.8% | 10% below | |
| Household size1 | 2.2 | 10% below | |
| Born abroad1 | 0.0% | below (median 8.8%) | |
| No health insurance1County figure | 5.2% | 19% below | |
| Homes with broadband1 | 76.1% | 18% below |
Life in McDowell
15 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark.
Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)
Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.
All 9 schools and local life measures
| Measure | McDowell | Among 6,645 places | Vs median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public schools9County figure | 15 | 67% above | |
| Public school students9County figure | 5,347 | 9% above | |
| Students per teacher9County figure | 15.5 | 1% above | |
| Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure | 12.5 | 40% below | |
| Shops per 10k7County figure | 42.6 | 41% above | |
| Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure | 2.0 | 51% below | |
| Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure | 23.3 | 15% above | |
| Child care centers per 10k7County figure | 0.9 | 61% below | |
| National Register listings8County figure | 15 | 15% above |
Safety, weather and risk
Tornado risk is 35.6, 56% below the median place.
No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached McDowell. Larger places are fetched first.
All 9 weather and risk measures
| Measure | McDowell | Among 6,645 places | Vs median |
|---|---|---|---|
| July average high10County figure | 87°F | 0% below | |
| January average low10County figure | 26°F | 1% above | |
| Average temperature10County figure | 56°F | 3% above | |
| Annual precipitation10County figure | 47.2 in | 8% above | |
| Natural hazard risk11County figure | 94.2 | 2% above | |
| Hurricane risk11County figure | 50.8 | 28% below | |
| Tornado risk11County figure | 35.6 | 56% below | |
| Wildfire risk11County figure | 86.3 | 41% above | |
| Heat wave risk11County figure | 58.2 | 35% below |
How it is changing
Five-year survey estimates, one point per release.
Median gross rent
Median household income
Median home value
Citytistics measures
Measures only Citytistics publishes, built from the figures on this page. Scores of 100 beat every place we track. Formulas
McDowell in 2030: where the trends point
If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 21% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 21% now.
Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.
| Measure | Latest | 2030 projection | Likely range | Avg. per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $255/mo (2024) | $310/mo | $250 to $370/mo | +3.1% |
| Median household income | $14,474 (2024) | $17,000 | $14,500 to $20,500 | +2.9% |
| Median home value | $73,100 (2024) | $97,000 | $70,000 to $133,000 | +4.8% |
The median home would be worth 5.6 years of the median income in 2030, against 5.1 now.
A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.
Places like McDowell
The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.
| Place | Rent | Income | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge, OH | $788 | $42,946 | Compare |
| Louisville, MS | $617 | $36,985 | Compare |
| Bennettsville, SC | $671 | $37,115 | Compare |
| Roanoke, AL | $666 | $47,105 | Compare |
Nearby
- Pikeville, KY11 mi
- Hazard, KY29 mi
- Big Stone Gap, VA41 mi
- Richlands, VA57 mi
- Bloomingdale, TN62 mi
- Morehead, KY64 mi
Compare McDowell with
Common questions
Is McDowell a good place to live?
It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Household income has grown -12.6% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 85 Kentucky places. 72.4% of residents live below the poverty line, more than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 81 Kentucky places. On cost, space and class size it scores 31 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.
Is McDowell expensive to live in?
The median rent takes 19.5% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $98,700.
What salary do you need to live in McDowell?
To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $26,880 a year. Work it out from your current city.
What places are similar to McDowell?
On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Cambridge, OH, Louisville, MS, Bennettsville, SC and Roanoke, AL.
Sources and methods
The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.
- American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
- Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
- Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
- House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
- Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
- SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
- County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
- National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
- Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
- 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
- National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).
What stands out compares McDowell with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for McDowell itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/mcdowell-kentucky
Citytistics. “McDowell, Kentucky.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/mcdowell-kentucky/
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.