Harlan, KY
Harlan County · Kentucky · United States
Home to 4,719 people across 67.33 square miles.
At a glance
40831 by the numbers
Every figure below comes from the 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the Census Gazetteer, or is computed from those. Margins of error are shown where they matter.
Location
Where 40831 is
| Coordinates | 36.760179, -83.328572 |
|---|---|
| Time zone | America/New_York |
| County | Harlan County |
| State | Kentucky (KY) |
| Land area | 67.33 mi² |
| Coordinate source | Census ZCTA internal point |
Local time
America/New_York
Current weather
Live from the National Weather Service
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Distance to major cities
Straight-line, computed from coordinates
| Atlanta, GA | 216.5 mi |
|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | 421.6 mi |
| Philadelphia, PA | 494.0 mi |
| New York, NY | 571.4 mi |
People
Who lives in 40831
4,719 residents in 2,083 households, averaging 2.27 people per household. The largest age group is 65+ at 21.5% of residents.
Age distribution
Share of residents by age band
Households
Composition and size
| Total households | 2,083 |
|---|---|
| Average household size | 2.27 |
| Family households | 61.5% |
| Living alone | 33.2% |
| Median age | 42.1 years |
| Households with internet | 81.8% |
Race & ethnicity
Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.
Income & work
What people earn in 40831
The median household here earns $35,417 a year, below the US median of $70,109, which puts 40831 ahead of 4% of American ZIP codes. 25.7% of residents live below the poverty line.
Compared to the US
This ZIP against the national median
| Median household income | $35,417 ±$6,683 |
|---|---|
| Per capita income | $23,560 |
| Poverty rate | 25.7% |
| Unemployment rate | 11.3% |
| Labor force participation | 41.6% |
Household income distribution
Share of households in each bracket
Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 19.4% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 82.2% finished high school.
Housing
Homes and rent in 40831
A typical home is valued at $106,500, and median rent runs $567 a month. Ownership is close to even at 56.7% owned, and the typical building went up in 1977.
Costs
Typical values
| Median home value | $106,500 |
|---|---|
| Median gross rent | $567/mo |
| Median year built | 1977 |
| Housing units | 2,480 |
| Vacancy rate | 16.0% |
Own vs. rent
Of 2,083 occupied units
| Owner households | 1,182 |
|---|---|
| Renter households | 901 |
Building types
Units by structure size
Getting to work
How 40831 commutes
70.7% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 18.8 minutes.
Mode of transport
Workers 16 and older
Travel time
Mean commute 18.8 minutes
Overview
Understanding ZIP code 40831
ZIP code 40831 is assigned to Harlan, KY, and falls within Harlan County. Like every US postal code, it began as a mail-routing device rather than a geographic boundary — the US Postal Service groups delivery routes under a single code so carriers and sorting equipment can process mail efficiently. Today it also serves as a practical shorthand for the area itself: roughly 4,719 people live inside it.
At 70 residents per square mile spread over 67.33 square miles, 40831 reads as a rural area. It is a smaller postal code by population, and density shapes almost everything else on this page — how people get to work, whether they own or rent, and what housing costs.
Household earnings are well below the national median. At $35,417, 40831 ranks among the lower-income postal codes, ahead of 4% of them. The US median for comparison is $70,109. Bear in mind that median income describes the midpoint household, not the average — it is not pulled upward by a handful of very high earners the way a mean would be.
Living here
What life in Harlan looks like
Housing in 40831 costs below the national median. A typical home is valued at $106,500 against a US median of $207,500, and median gross rent runs $567 a month. The split between owning and renting is fairly even at 56.7% owner-occupied, which tends to indicate a mix of housing types rather than one dominant form.
The building stock is dominated by detached single-family houses, which account for 58.4% of housing units here. The median construction year is 1977, making the housing here from the later twentieth century.
The population skews broadly in line with the national age profile, with a median age of 42.1 against 42 nationally. The average household holds 2.27 people, and 61.5% are family households.
Getting to work takes 18.8 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 70.7% of workers.
Where to stay
Where to stay in Harlan, KY
40831 covers a rural area, and accommodation within the postal code itself is likely to be sparse — perhaps a country inn, a lodge or a vacation rental rather than a conventional hotel. Widening the search radius is usually the practical approach, and it also opens up more availability at short notice.
Local costs are modest — median rent here is $567 a month — and accommodation prices in the area tend to be correspondingly reasonable. For reference, Atlanta, GA is about 216.5 miles away in a straight line, which is worth factoring in if you are comparing a stay here against one closer to the city centre.
Availability and pricing change constantly, so the live search below will give you a more accurate picture than any figure we could publish here. It opens results for this area on Booking.com.
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Practical uses
What ZIP code 40831 is used for
Beyond addressing mail, 40831 does a lot of quiet administrative work. Retailers use it to calculate shipping and sales tax at checkout. Insurers use it to set premiums, since risk profiles vary geographically. Employers and marketers use it to define service areas. Government agencies use it to route benefits and organise reporting. If you have ever been asked for a postal code by a form that clearly does not intend to send you anything, this is why.
For anyone weighing a move, 40831 offers a compact profile of Harlan: 4,719 residents, a median household income of $35,417, 19.4% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 11.3%. A handful of figures like these answer more relocation questions than most neighbourhood guides do.
One caution worth repeating: a postal code is not a neighbourhood. 40831 may cover parts of several distinct areas, and a single neighbourhood in Harlan may be split across more than one code. Boundaries also shift as USPS adjusts delivery routes. Treat the figures here as describing a delivery area, which is what they actually measure.
Nearby
ZIP codes near 40831
The eight closest postal codes by centroid distance, each with its own full profile. You can also browse every Kentucky ZIP code or use the ZIP Express Lookup to search by city, county or time zone.
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Questions
Common questions about 40831
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Methodology
Where this data comes from
- Postal geography — GeoNames open postal code database (CC BY 4.0), cross-checked against the US Census Gazetteer.
- Demographics, income, housing, commute — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-Year Estimates, ZIP Code Tabulation Area 40831. Tables B01001, B01002, B01003, B02001, B03003, B08301, B08303, B11001, B15003, B17001, B19001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25024, B25035, B25064, B25077, B28002.
- Land and water area — US Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer Files.
- Weather — NOAA National Weather Service, fetched live in your browser.
- Map — OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).