42653 ZIP Code — Whitley City, KY

Mccreary County, Kentucky

ZIP code 42653 is located in Whitley City, Kentucky, within Mccreary County. It covers approximately 81.20 square miles and serves a population of 4,113 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Eastern (ET) timezone, served by area code 606.

About ZIP code 42653

The housing stock consists of a higher-than-average concentration of mobile homes. Most homes were built in the 1990s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $111,900. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 71%.

Median household income is $42,589. Poverty affects 27% of residents, above the national average. SNAP benefit usage at 24% of households reflects economic stress in the area. 47% of households receive Social Security income, suggesting a notable retiree or disability population.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 33 minutes is near the national average.

College attainment at 6% is below the national average, consistent with a trades and production-oriented local economy.

Health indicators show elevated rates of obesity (45%), smoking (33%) compared to national benchmarks.

Notable community characteristics include disability rates above the national average at 25%.

Overall, ZIP code 42653 reflects a community defined by a trades-oriented workforce, economic challenges above the national average, a significant Social Security-dependent population, and elevated reliance on food assistance.

4,113

population

81.20

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Eastern (ET)

timezone

42653 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 42653

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 42653. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Whitley City	Acceptable
Whitley City	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

42634 Parkers Lake (6.3 mi) 42647 Stearns (9.7 mi) 42649 Strunk (10.1 mi) 42635 Pine Knot (10.5 mi) 42519 Burnside (10.8 mi) 42518 Bronston (12.8 mi) 40769 Williamsburg (17.8 mi) 37892 Winfield (18 mi) 42501 Somerset (18.5 mi) 42633 Monticello (19.3 mi) 37841 Oneida (20 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	4,113
Population density	51 / sq mi
State FIPS	21
County FIPS	147

Geography
Land area	81.20 sq mi
Water area	1.24 sq mi
Latitude	36.7889
Longitude	-84.4628
Timezone	Eastern (ET)
Area code	606

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 05/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	73.7%	70.1%	47.9%
$50k – $100k	20.0%	22.3%	30.3%
$100k – $200k	6.3%	6.6%	17.6%
Over $200k	0.0%	1.1%	4.2%

Demographics & statistics

4,113

Population

People per sq mi

37.2

Median age

$42,589

Median household income

$17,636

Per capita income

$111,900

Median home value

$614

Median monthly rent

70.9%

Home ownership

26.8%

Poverty rate

4.4%

Unemployment

1,470

Housing units

5.6%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

134

Under 5

115

182

5–9

156

164

10–14

140

146

15–19

125

135

20–24

115

295

25–34

253

322

35–44

276

268

45–54

229

134

55–59

114

145

60–64

125

164

65–74

140

109

75–84

85+

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	1,109	27.0%
18 and over	3,004	73.0%
65 and over	540	13.1%
Median age	37.2 years

Race & ethnicity

White 93.6%

Black or African American 2.3%

Two or more races 1.9%

Hispanic or Latino 1.3%

Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%

Group	Count	%
White	3,904	93.6%
Black or African American	96	2.3%
Two or more races	81	1.9%
Hispanic or Latino	56	1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	20	0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	12	0.3%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	73.7%	70.1%	47.9%
$50k – $100k	20.0%	22.3%	30.3%
$100k – $200k	6.3%	6.6%	17.6%
Over $200k	0.0%	1.1%	4.2%

Under $10k 9.5%

$10k–$15k 9.6%

$15k–$25k 15.4%

$25k–$35k 12.9%

$35k–$50k 6.1%

$50k–$75k 18.7%

$75k–$100k 16.6%

$100k–$150k 7.1%

$150k–$200k 4.1%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	9.5%
$10k–$15k	9.6%
$15k–$25k	15.4%
$25k–$35k	12.9%
$35k–$50k	6.1%
$50k–$75k	18.7%
$75k–$100k	16.6%
$100k–$150k	7.1%
$150k–$200k	4.1%
Median income	$42,589

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 13.3%

$50k–$100k 22.8%

$100k–$150k 34.4%

$150k–$200k 13.0%

$200k–$300k 10.7%

$300k–$500k 2.8%

$500k–$1M 0.8%

$1M+ 2.2%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$111,900
Median rent / month	$614
Owner occupied	70.9%
Renter occupied	29.1%
Vacant	31.6%
Single-family detached	60.7%
Large apartment buildings	1.4%
Mobile homes	25.7%
Median rooms	5.5
Avg household size (owned)	3.49

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.0%
2010–2019	10.1%
2000–2009	7.2%
1990–1999	24.5%
1980–1989	21.8%
1970–1979	20.9%
1960–1969	1.9%
1950–1959	0.7%
1940–1949	5.7%
1939 or earlier	7.2%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	4.0%
1 bedroom	8.6%
2 bedrooms	23.6%
3 bedrooms	44.9%
4 bedrooms	12.6%
5+ bedrooms	6.3%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	9.5%
1 vehicle	28.4%
2 vehicles	33.6%
3 or more	28.5%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	6.2%
Electricity	78.3%
Propane / LP gas	1.6%
Fuel oil	2.8%
Wood	8.8%
No fuel used	1.4%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	687	54.7%
Cohabiting couple	7	0.6%
Male householder, no spouse	268	21.3%
Female householder, no spouse	294	23.4%
Households with children under 18	433	34.5%
Households with seniors (65+)	436	34.7%
Average household size	3.21

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	30.8%	19.2%
Married	52.3%	51.3%
Separated	5.2%	2.7%
Widowed	2.9%	7.6%
Divorced	8.8%	19.1%

Education

Less than 9th grade 12.1%

Some HS, no diploma 9.4%

HS graduate 39.3%

Some college, no degree 22.3%

Associate's degree 11.4%

Bachelor's degree 2.4%

Graduate / professional 3.1%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	78.5%
Bachelor's or higher	5.6%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	79	7.9%
Kindergarten	0	0.0%
Elementary school	528	53.1%
High school	289	29.0%
College / grad school	99	9.9%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 20.6%

Arts, food & hospitality 16.6%

Public administration 13.9%

Manufacturing 11.4%

Retail trade 9.0%

Transportation & utilities 6.4%

Finance & real estate 4.6%

Construction 4.3%

Wholesale trade 4.0%

Information 3.3%

Other services 2.7%

Professional & management 2.5%

Agriculture & mining 0.8%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	34.9%
Service	24.5%
Sales & office	18.0%
Natural resources & construction	7.6%
Production & transportation	15.1%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	76.9%
Government	20.7%
Self-employed	2.0%
Unpaid family workers	0.4%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	85.4%
Carpool	5.9%
Public transit	0.1%
Walk	5.6%
Work from home	2.2%
Other means	0.8%
Avg commute (minutes)	32.9

Poverty

All people 26.8%

Under 18 years 23.2%

18 and over 28.1%

Married-couple families 20.2%

Female-led households 26.5%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	47.4%
Retirement income	15.0%
Supplemental Security	12.7%
Cash public assistance	4.5%
Food stamps / SNAP	24.2%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	44.5%
High blood pressure	45.8%
High cholesterol	39.6%
Diabetes	14.7%
Heart disease	9.4%
Stroke	4.7%
Asthma	13.0%
Arthritis	34.7%
Kidney disease	4.0%
Pulmonary disease	15.2%
Cancer	6.3%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	32.8%
Binge drinking	14.5%
No physical activity	39.5%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	41.5%
Depression	29.3%
Fair or poor health	29.0%
Poor mental health	21.6%
Poor physical health	19.2%
No health insurance	13.4%
Visited doctor (checkup)	77.1%
Visited dentist	42.9%
Cholesterol screening	86.5%
Teeth loss	28.6%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	279	9.3%

Disability	%
Any disability	24.7%
Under 18	5.6%
18–64 years	28.0%
65 and over	48.9%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	46.7%
Public insurance	60.7%
No insurance	6.1%
Uninsured under 19	8.1%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	3,864	93.9%
Spanish	25	0.6%
Other Indo-European	12	0.3%
Asian & Pacific Islander	0	0.0%
Other languages	0	0.0%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	4,078	99.1%
Born in same state	4,053	98.5%
Born in different state	2,971	72.2%
Foreign born	25	0.6%
Naturalized citizen	35	0.9%
Not a US citizen	35	100.0%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Arab	496	12.1%
Italian	284	6.9%

Ancestry	Count	%
French	195	4.7%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	30.5%
Internet access	84.1%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 42653

What city is ZIP code 42653 in?

ZIP code 42653 is primarily assigned to Whitley City, Kentucky.

What county is ZIP code 42653 in?

ZIP code 42653 falls within Mccreary County, Kentucky.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 42653?

27% of residents in ZIP code 42653 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

How educated is the population of ZIP code 42653?

6% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher — below the national average of ~33%, consistent with a trades-oriented local economy.

Does ZIP code 42653 have a large retiree population?

47% of households in ZIP code 42653 receive Social Security income, suggesting a significant retiree or disability population.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 42653?

The median home value in ZIP code 42653 is $111,900.

What timezone is ZIP code 42653 in?

ZIP code 42653 observes the EST timezone.