CitytisticsShortlist

Central City, KY vs East Cleveland, TN

Central City

Kentucky

vs

East Cleveland

Tennessee

Across 29 directional measures we can compare, Central City leads on 19 and East Cleveland on 10. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 33% higher in East Cleveland, while median household income is higher in Central City.

Median gross rent
$683$911
Central City is 25% lower
Median household income
$50,885$48,878
Central City is 4% higher
Median home value
$143,600$124,100
Central City is 16% higher

The Citytistics read

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, pay outran rent by 2.1 points a year in Central City, and pay outran rent by 8.2 points a year in East Cleveland.

How these are calculated

KentuckyTennesseeEast Cleveland, TNCentral City, KYCentral CityEast ClevelandCentral CityEast Cleveland

Which fits you?

Both start on the Citytistics Index (CTX). Move the sliders to weigh what matters to you and the score becomes your own mix.

Your weights

Top 1 of 1 matching places. Places in the top 1% show their national rank.

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01Central City, KYComposite 46.6 / 100
41
839074544820

CTX is the Citytistics Index: better than that share of the places we rate. It tops out at 99, so the top 1% show their national rank (#1 is best). Change any weight to rank on your own mix. How the CTX is built

Every measure

The dots show where each place sits among the 6,645 places we track. The bar is the median. A small dot after a value marks the better one.

MeasureCentral CityEast ClevelandAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$683$911
Rent to income116.1%22.4%
Property tax rate10.7%0.3%
Home price to income12.8x2.5x
Prices vs US average2n/a88.1
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$909$1,270
HUD area median income4$72,500n/a
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$959$425
Median home value1$143,600$124,100
Home prices, 1-year change511.1%3.7%
Home prices, 5-year change561.4%66.0%
Homeownership159.4%35.4%
Renters paying 30%+130.8%34.4%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,173$2,563
Vacant homes19.7%7.3%
Median year built119751982
Jobs and income
Median household income1$50,885$48,878
Income per person1$24,345$15,946
Unemployment19.3%6.6%
Average annual pay6$54,157$57,020
Pay growth, 1 year6-0.8%4.9%
Jobs67,84540,033
Poverty rate125.6%26.5%
Mean commute124 min21 min
Works from home14.0%9.1%
Commutes by transit10.0%0.0%
People
Population15,7071,934
Population change since 20207-0.6%n/a
Median age137.537.6
Bachelor's or higher15.7%0.0%
High school or higher183.6%77.2%
Household size12.43.3
Born abroad11.8%5.9%
No health insurance19.3%25.2%
Homes with broadband187.9%91.0%
Moving
Moved here in the past year119.6%0.0%
Moved from another state11.9%0.0%
Net movers per 1,000 people84.112.1
Income of households moving in8$42,464$57,525
Income of households moving out8$42,878$52,360
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k917.017.3
Shops per 10k934.734.0
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9n/a2.5
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k915.417.1
Child care centers per 10k91.62.9
Parks per 10k108.80.0
Playgrounds per 10k100.00.0
Grocery stores per 10k107.00.0
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k100.05.2
Libraries per 10k107.00.0
Named paths and bike trails100.50.0
Transit stops per sq mi100.00.0
Nearest National Park Service site1157.0n/a
National Park Service sites within 60 miles112n/a
National Register listings121324
Founded or incorporated131826n/a
Safety
Violent crime per 100k14105n/a
Property crime per 100k14715n/a
Schools
Public schools151027
Public school students154,41016,092
Students per teacher1515.2n/a
Climate
July average high1689°F89°F
January average low1627°F30°F
Average temperature1658°F60°F
Annual precipitation1650.1 in55.6 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1753.273.4
Hurricane risk1730.455.8
Tornado risk1754.688.4
Wildfire risk1718.247.2
Heat wave risk1773.546.3

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: Central City $27,320, East Cleveland $36,440 a year.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Links go to the publisher.

  1. 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
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. 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.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  12. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  13. Wikidata · Wikimedia Foundation (CC0) · Retrieved 2026-11
  14. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  15. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  16. 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
  17. 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).

Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology.

Keep comparing

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