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EconPulse

Local economy signal dashboard

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PLACEStable

Mcdowell, KY

Stable overall. Population is the clearest support signal, while jobs needs the most attention. Housing reads as affordable for a median-income household.

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Overall score56out of 100
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65
0
100
70
100

Population

718

Data freshness

Unknown

GDP / Output

+3.8% YoY

65

$1.4B

Output changed +3.8% in 2024.

Vintage date unknown

State growth4.3%
U.S. growth5.3%

Jobs

Unemployment rate

0

60.0%

Unemployment is 60.0% for Latest available.

Vintage date unknown

State avg4.9%
U.S. avg4.3%

Population

+16.2% 5-year

100

718

Population moved +16.2% over the latest ACS window.

Vintage date unknown

State population4,534,824
U.S. population334,922,499

Housing

Rent share of income

70

21.1%

Median rent consumes 21.1% of median household income: Affordable.

Vintage date unknown

State rent$967
U.S. rent$1.4K
HUD_API_TOKEN missing; ACS median gross rent is used as the housing affordability fallback.

Federal Funds

$10.1K per resident

100

$364.3M

$364.3M in federal obligations flowed here in FY2025.

Vintage date unknown

State total$173.3B
U.S. total$5.3T

Population and output

Trend Snapshot

Reported share

Industry Breakdown

FY2025

Federal Money

Federal obligations

$364.3M

$10.1K per resident in reported federal flow.

Top agencies

Dollars
1. Social Security Administration$242.9M
2. Department of Transportation$49.2M
3. Department of Veterans Affairs$18.1M

Top recipients

Dollars
1. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY$49.2M
2. MOUNTAIN COMPREHENSIVE CARE CENTER, INC.$11.9M
3. KENTUCKY COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM$7.7M

Affordable

Housing Affordability

21.1%

of median income

1BR estimate$209
2BR estimate$275
Median income$14,474
Median home value$73,100

ACS context

Quick Facts

Population

718

Median age

29.0

Bachelor's degree+

17.5%

Poverty rate

72.4%

Labor force participation

16.9%

Prime rate

6.8%

CPI YoY

+3.9%

U.S. GDP YoY

+5.9%

Sources and warnings

Data Provenance

Census ACS 5-year

2024

BLS LAUS / CPS

Latest available

BEA regional CAGDP1

2024

USAspending

FY2025

FRED

2026-06-16

HUD Fair Market Rent

Latest available

Data notes
  • HUD_API_TOKEN missing; ACS median gross rent is used as the housing affordability fallback.

5-year compound growth

Historical Trends

Population CAGR

+3.0%

GDP CAGR

+5.5%

Federal flow

5 years

Population (5 years)
2020618
2021591
2022516
2023549
2024718
GDP (5 years)
2020$1.1B
2021$1.2B
2022$1.3B
2023$1.4B
2024$1.4B

2-year linear forecast

Predictive Outlook

Population forecast

2024718
2025646 *
2026662 *

R² = 10.4% · * projected

GDP forecast

2024$1.4B
2025$1.5B *
2026$1.6B *

R² = 97.0% · * projected

Linear regression over available historical data. Projections are estimates based on past trends and do not account for policy changes, economic shocks, or other external factors.

housing affordability breakdown

Cost of Living

Median household income$14,474/yr
Median rent$255/mo
Rent share of income21.1%
Est. mortgage (30yr, 6.5%)$4,436/yr
Mortgage share of income30.6%

Rent data from Census ACS 5-year. Mortgage estimate assumes 20% down, 6.5% APR, 30-year fixed.

employment snapshot

Job Market

Unemployment rate60.0%
State avg4.9%
U.S. avg4.3%
Labor force participation16.9%
Poverty rate72.4%

Data from BLS LAUS / CPS. Latest available.

valuation snapshot

Real Estate

Median home value$73,100
Median monthly rent$255
Price-to-rent ratio23.9x

High price-to-rent ratio — renting may be more economical than buying in this market.

composite score

Investment Climate

Investment climateModerate
Composite score54/100
Economic growth65/100
Labor market0/100
Population momentum100/100
Overall stability56/100

Composite score weighs economic growth, labor market health, population momentum, and overall stability. Not financial advice.

Location Context

McDowell CDP, Kentucky

City/Town

Part of

Pikeville, KY

Nearby locations

Wayland, KYMaytown, KYMartin, KYWheelwright, KYBetsy Layne, KY