McCracken County, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
 McCracken County courthouse in Paducah | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKentucky | |
 Kentucky's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:37°04′N88°43′W / 37.06°N 88.72°W /37.06; -88.72 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kentucky |
| Founded | January 15th, 1825 |
| Named after | Virgil McCracken |
| Seat | Paducah |
| Largest city | Paducah |
| Area | |
• Total | 268 sq mi (690 km2) |
| • Land | 249 sq mi (640 km2) |
| • Water | 19 sq mi (49 km2) 7.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 67,875 |
• Estimate (2024) | 67,550 |
| • Density | 273/sq mi (105/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | mccrackencountyky |
McCracken County is acounty located in the far west portion ofU.S. state ofKentucky. As of the2020 census, the population was 67,875.[1] Thecounty seat and only municipality isPaducah.[2] McCracken County was the 78th county formed in the state, having been created in 1825.[3] It is part of the historicJackson Purchase, territory sold by the Chickasaw people to GeneralAndrew Jackson and GovernorIsaac Shelby; this territory was located at the extreme western end of Kentucky.
Paducah developed based on its "River and Rail" traffic. Steamboats, barges, and theIllinois Central Railroad were the basis of the economy into the late 20th century. In the 1920s, the Illinois Central built the largest operating, and maintenance base in the world here.
McCracken County is the central county of the Paducah, KY-ILMetropolitan Statistical Area.
McCracken County was founded in 1825 from Hickman County; it was named for Captain Virgil McCracken ofWoodford County, Kentucky, who was killed in theBattle of Frenchtown in southeasternMichigan during theWar of 1812.[4][5]
TheBattle of Paducah occurred during the American Civil War in McCracken County on March 25, 1864. The skirmish between the Union and Confederate troops ended in a Confederate victory. A total of 140 men were killed during the battle.
In addition to having an economy influenced by river traffic, the county's economy was strengthened by construction of the railroad to Paducah. The railroads based operations and maintenance in Paducah, and the men in many families had careers as firemen, repairment, and related jobs.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 268 square miles (690 km2), of which 249 square miles (640 km2) is land and 19 square miles (49 km2) (7.2%) is water.[6] The county's northern border withIllinois is formed by theOhio River, and its northeastern border by theTennessee River.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 1,297 | — | |
| 1840 | 4,745 | 265.8% | |
| 1850 | 6,067 | 27.9% | |
| 1860 | 10,360 | 70.8% | |
| 1870 | 13,988 | 35.0% | |
| 1880 | 16,262 | 16.3% | |
| 1890 | 21,051 | 29.4% | |
| 1900 | 28,733 | 36.5% | |
| 1910 | 35,064 | 22.0% | |
| 1920 | 37,246 | 6.2% | |
| 1930 | 46,271 | 24.2% | |
| 1940 | 48,534 | 4.9% | |
| 1950 | 49,137 | 1.2% | |
| 1960 | 57,306 | 16.6% | |
| 1970 | 58,281 | 1.7% | |
| 1980 | 61,310 | 5.2% | |
| 1990 | 62,879 | 2.6% | |
| 2000 | 65,514 | 4.2% | |
| 2010 | 65,565 | 0.1% | |
| 2020 | 67,875 | 3.5% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 67,550 | [7] | −0.5% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010-2020[1] | |||
As of thecensus[12] of 2000, there were 65,514 people, 27,736 households, and 18,444 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 261 per square mile (101/km2). There were 30,361 housing units at an average density of 121 per square mile (47/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 86.76%White, 10.88%Black orAfrican American, 0.22%Native American, 0.51%Asian, 0.05%Pacific Islander, 0.40% fromother races, and 1.18% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.06% of the population.
There were 27,736 households, out of which 29.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.10% weremarried couples living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.50% were non-families. 29.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.40% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 15.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $33,865, and the median income for a family was $42,513. Males had a median income of $36,417 versus $22,704 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $19,533. About 11.40% of families and 15.10% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 21.90% of those under age 18 and 12.30% of those age 65 or over.
Public elementary and secondary education in the county is provided by twoschool districts:
Several private schools also provide K-12 education. These institutions include the St. Mary System and Community Christian Academy.
Higher education is provided byWest Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah, part of theKentucky Community and Technical College System. Like all other schools in this system, WKCTC offersassociate degrees. The state's largest public university, theUniversity of Kentucky, operates a branch campus of its College of Engineering at WKCTC.Murray State University offersbachelor's degree programs andmaster's degrees. A new 43,000 square foot facility located on a 23-acre campus adjacent to WKCTC was opened in 2014.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 1,308 | 22.62% | 2,948 | 50.99% | 1,526 | 26.39% |
| 1916 | 3,058 | 39.96% | 4,356 | 56.92% | 239 | 3.12% |
| 1920 | 6,085 | 40.89% | 8,496 | 57.10% | 299 | 2.01% |
| 1924 | 4,979 | 40.54% | 6,028 | 49.08% | 1,274 | 10.37% |
| 1928 | 7,368 | 56.93% | 5,535 | 42.76% | 40 | 0.31% |
| 1932 | 3,140 | 25.12% | 9,188 | 73.51% | 171 | 1.37% |
| 1936 | 3,160 | 22.85% | 10,557 | 76.33% | 113 | 0.82% |
| 1940 | 3,554 | 23.43% | 11,562 | 76.23% | 52 | 0.34% |
| 1944 | 4,190 | 27.71% | 10,846 | 71.73% | 84 | 0.56% |
| 1948 | 3,251 | 21.57% | 11,183 | 74.19% | 640 | 4.25% |
| 1952 | 6,051 | 32.93% | 12,302 | 66.95% | 22 | 0.12% |
| 1956 | 7,076 | 33.29% | 14,103 | 66.34% | 79 | 0.37% |
| 1960 | 9,689 | 43.59% | 12,539 | 56.41% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 4,543 | 21.83% | 16,178 | 77.75% | 87 | 0.42% |
| 1968 | 5,887 | 27.33% | 9,741 | 45.21% | 5,916 | 27.46% |
| 1972 | 11,260 | 57.69% | 7,567 | 38.77% | 691 | 3.54% |
| 1976 | 6,997 | 30.84% | 14,956 | 65.92% | 734 | 3.24% |
| 1980 | 10,281 | 42.27% | 13,365 | 54.94% | 679 | 2.79% |
| 1984 | 12,903 | 50.08% | 12,535 | 48.65% | 327 | 1.27% |
| 1988 | 12,160 | 49.34% | 12,208 | 49.54% | 275 | 1.12% |
| 1992 | 10,657 | 39.25% | 13,341 | 49.13% | 3,155 | 11.62% |
| 1996 | 10,221 | 40.42% | 12,670 | 50.10% | 2,396 | 9.48% |
| 2000 | 14,745 | 55.25% | 11,412 | 42.76% | 532 | 1.99% |
| 2004 | 18,218 | 61.14% | 11,361 | 38.13% | 218 | 0.73% |
| 2008 | 19,043 | 61.92% | 11,285 | 36.69% | 426 | 1.39% |
| 2012 | 19,979 | 65.40% | 10,062 | 32.94% | 510 | 1.67% |
| 2016 | 20,774 | 66.36% | 9,134 | 29.18% | 1,399 | 4.47% |
| 2020 | 21,820 | 65.04% | 11,195 | 33.37% | 534 | 1.59% |
| 2024 | 21,349 | 66.83% | 10,191 | 31.90% | 407 | 1.27% |
| Elected officials as of January 3, 2025[14][15] | ||
| U.S. House | James Comer (R) | KY 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Ky. Senate | Danny Carroll (R) | 2 |
| Ky. House | Steven Rudy (R) | 1 |
| Kim Holloway (R) | 2 | |
| Randy Bridges (R) | 3 | |
| Chris Freeland (R) | 6 | |
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite web}}:|last3= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Municipalities and communities ofMcCracken County, Kentucky,United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
37°04′N88°43′W / 37.06°N 88.72°W /37.06; -88.72
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