Paducah, KY
McCracken County · Kentucky · United States
Home to 29,384 people across 68.95 square miles.
At a glance
42003 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 42003 is
| Coordinates | 37.004848, -88.577941 |
|---|---|
| Time zone | America/Chicago |
| County | McCracken County |
| State | Kentucky (KY) |
| Land area | 68.95 mi² |
| Coordinate source | Census ZCTA internal point |
Local time
America/Chicago
Current weather
Live from the National Weather Service
Loading forecast…
Distance to major cities
Straight-line, computed from coordinates
| Atlanta, GA | 326.0 mi |
|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | 340.5 mi |
| Dallas, TX | 549.5 mi |
| Houston, TX | 635.3 mi |
People
Who lives in 42003
29,384 residents in 11,534 households, averaging 2.55 people per household. The largest age group is under 18 at 21.6% of residents.
Age distribution
Share of residents by age band
Households
Composition and size
| Total households | 11,534 |
|---|---|
| Average household size | 2.55 |
| Family households | 61.3% |
| Living alone | 32.8% |
| Median age | 41.1 years |
| Households with internet | 87.9% |
Race & ethnicity
Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.
Income & work
What people earn in 42003
The median household here earns $54,052 a year, below the US median of $70,109, which puts 42003 ahead of 22% of American ZIP codes. 16.8% of residents live below the poverty line.
Compared to the US
This ZIP against the national median
| Median household income | $54,052 ±$4,317 |
|---|---|
| Per capita income | $31,757 |
| Poverty rate | 16.8% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.9% |
| Labor force participation | 56.9% |
Household income distribution
Share of households in each bracket
Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 21.7% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 91.7% finished high school.
Housing
Homes and rent in 42003
A typical home is valued at $160,700, and median rent runs $696 a month. This is an owner-majority area — 69.3% of occupied homes are owned, and the typical building went up in 1978.
Costs
Typical values
| Median home value | $160,700 |
|---|---|
| Median gross rent | $696/mo |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Housing units | 14,132 |
| Vacancy rate | 18.4% |
Own vs. rent
Of 11,534 occupied units
| Owner households | 7,990 |
|---|---|
| Renter households | 3,544 |
Building types
Units by structure size
Getting to work
How 42003 commutes
84.6% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 19.1 minutes.
Mode of transport
Workers 16 and older
Travel time
Mean commute 19.1 minutes
Overview
Understanding ZIP code 42003
ZIP code 42003 is assigned to Paducah, KY, and falls within McCracken 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 29,384 people live inside it.
At 426 residents per square mile spread over 68.95 square miles, 42003 reads as a small-town area. It is a populous postal code, 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 run below the national median. At $54,052, 42003 sits in the lower half, ahead of 22% 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 Paducah looks like
Housing in 42003 costs below the national median. A typical home is valued at $160,700 against a US median of $207,500, and median gross rent runs $696 a month. The split between owning and renting is fairly even at 69.3% 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 68.6% of housing units here. The median construction year is 1978, 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 41.1 against 42 nationally. The average household holds 2.55 people, and 61.3% are family households.
Getting to work takes 19.1 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 84.6% of workers.
Where to stay
Where to stay in Paducah, KY
Paducah is a smaller community, so options inside 42003 may be limited to a handful of independent inns, motels or bed-and-breakfast properties. Travellers often widen the search to the surrounding area, where the choice is greater and prices are usually competitive.
Local costs are modest — median rent here is $696 a month — and accommodation prices in the area tend to be correspondingly reasonable. For reference, Atlanta, GA is about 326.0 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.
Opens Booking.com in a new tab. We are not affiliated with Booking.com and receive nothing from this link.
Practical uses
What ZIP code 42003 is used for
Beyond addressing mail, 42003 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, 42003 offers a compact profile of Paducah: 29,384 residents, a median household income of $54,052, 21.7% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 3.9%. 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. 42003 may cover parts of several distinct areas, and a single neighbourhood in Paducah 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 42003
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.
Other ZIP codes in Paducah
Paducah is served by 3 postal codes.
More in McCracken County
Look up another
Search any ZIP code
Questions
Common questions about 42003
What city is ZIP code 42003 in?
What is the population of 42003?
What is the average income in 42003?
How expensive is housing in 42003?
Is 42003 a good place to live?
What time zone is 42003 in?
How big is ZIP code 42003?
Is 42003 urban, suburban or rural?
How much is rent in 42003?
What is the commute like from 42003?
How many people work in 42003?
Where should I stay when visiting 42003?
Does 42003 cover more than one city or county?
Can ZIP code 42003 change?
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 42003. 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).