Murray, Calloway County, Kentucky Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Murray, Kentucky, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Murray, Kentucky. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Murray, Kentucky. The estimated population of Murray, Kentucky is 17,241 people, with a median age of 25.6.

We can look at the total population in Murray over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
17,241
-10.45% -8.78%
2020
19,254
+0.43%
-
2019
19,171
+0.7%
-
2018
19,037
+0.72%
-
2017
18,900
- -

Population of Murray, Kentucky by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
84.5%
83.4%
+1.32%
Black/African American
6.5%
6.1%
+6.56%
Native
0%
0.4%
-100.00%
Hispanic
1.9%
3.5%
-45.71%
Asian
3.1%
3.5%
-11.43%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.5%
0%
0.00%
Two Or More Races
3.1%
2.9%
+6.90%
Other
0.4%
0.1%
+300.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Murray, Kentucky by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 25.6 -5.19% 25.7 -7.22% 25 -6.02%
2020 27 +1.89% 27.7 +6.54% 26.6 -0.75%
2019 26.5 +0.38% 26 +2.77% 26.8 -2.55%
2018 26.4 +3.94% 25.3 +3.27% 27.5 +4.17%
2017 25.4 - 24.5 - 26.4 -

The median age of Murray, Kentucky gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 778 -14.88% 726 -2.7% 652 658
10 to 19 1,638 +5.52% 1,741 -0.12% 1,715 1,701
20 to 29 2,974 -20.03% 2,796 -8.68% 2,416 2,543
30 to 39 823 +10.55% 958 -30.21% 895 670
40 to 49 906 -8.18% 780 +16.5% 798 894
50 to 59 828 +7.17% 706 +1.16% 878 707
60 to 69 433 +27.72% 962 -42.13% 517 595
70+ 702 +6.42% 1,149 -25.77% 733 869

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Murray, Kentucky is $35,966.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Murray.

  • Under 25
    $17,938.00
  • 25 to 44
    $39,821.00
  • 45 to 64
    $43,404.00
  • 65 and over
    $38,425.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Murray, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Murray, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Murray, Kentucky is currently $52,047.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

2.22% of households in Murray are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Murray against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    35.34%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    27.35%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    13.01%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    10.72%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    7.85%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    3.50%
  • $200,000 or more
    2.22%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Murray is $20,638.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Murray by the total population of Murray.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Murray, Kentucky, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Murray to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    18.95%
  • Bachelor's degree
    35.23%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    6.84%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    35.78%
  • Less than high school diploma
    3.20%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Murray that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Murray over the age of 16 is 15,166.

Of those people, a total of 61.40% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Murray is 58.20%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 2,651 54.10% 6.10%
20 to 24 years 3,702 70.50% 8.30%
25 to 29 years 1,257 79.60% 0.10%
30 to 34 years 902 75.10% 2.50%
35 to 44 years 1,536 76.20% 10.40%
45 to 54 years 1,583 77.00% 1.90%
55 to 59 years 821 71.30% 1.90%
60 to 64 years 618 39.00% 4.60%
65 to 74 years 1,044 31.90% 0.00%
75 years and over 1,052 4.20% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Murray. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 13,175 61.50% 4.50%
Black or African American 970 56.20% 20.70%
American Indian and Alaska Native 3 100.00% 0.00%
Asian 475 64.60% 3.90%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 48 100.00% 0.00%
Other 105 58.10% 0.00%
Two or more races 390 64.60% 1.20%
Hispanic or Latino 259 48.60% 0.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 13,018 61.50% 4.50%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Murray as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Murray is 8,825, with median earnings of $19,499.00.

Women in Murray, Kentucky earning approximately 55.20% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 8,825 $19,499.00
Male 4,095 $26,757.00
Female 4,730 $14,765.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 681 $43,250.00
Business and Financial 378 $40,103.00
Computer and Mathematical 181 $40,724.00
Architecture and Engineering 64 $66,136.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 24 $42,955.00
Community and Social Service 235 $30,036.00
Legal 4 $0.00
Educational and Library 750 $44,066.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 204 $6,818.00
Healthcare Practitioners 366 $30,867.00
Healthcare Support 180 $24,167.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 64 $0.00
Law Enforcement 55 $46,490.00
Food Preparation and Serving 842 $11,536.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 244 $16,438.00
Personal Care and Service 871 $6,125.00
Sales 808 $16,315.00
Office and Administrative Support 1,288 $13,923.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 61 $30,117.00
Construction and Extraction 250 $27,045.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 223 $16,688.00
Production 521 $31,067.00
Transportation and Material Moving 92 $8,750.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 490 $46,250.00 191 $21,094.00
Business and Financial 174 $41,952.00 204 $24,667.00
Computer and Mathematical 103 $53,641.00 78 $13,000.00
Architecture and Engineering 64 $66,136.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 21 $0.00 3 $0.00
Community and Social Service 91 $23,304.00 144 $30,714.00
Legal 4 $0.00 0 $0.00
Educational and Library 245 $36,696.00 505 $44,202.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 147 $17,589.00 57 $4,536.00
Healthcare Practitioners 71 $19,563.00 295 $31,046.00
Healthcare Support 14 $0.00 166 $26,667.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 64 $0.00 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 55 $46,490.00 0 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 282 $16,641.00 560 $6,803.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 122 $17,786.00 122 $14,390.00
Personal Care and Service 269 $6,590.00 602 $5,748.00
Sales 173 $60,352.00 635 $15,700.00
Office and Administrative Support 475 $16,083.00 813 $13,240.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 29 $0.00 32 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 225 $24,417.00 25 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 223 $16,688.00 0 $0.00
Production 408 $31,017.00 113 $31,250.00
Transportation and Material Moving 79 $10,347.00 13 $0.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 6,341 households in Murray, with an average household size of 2.15 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 3,053 families in Murray with an average family size of 2.95 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 2,177 344 532 3,288
Average Household Size 3.08 2.58 3.11 1.33
Total Families 2,177 344 532 0
Average Household Size 3.07 2.14 2.98 0

Poverty

Of the 3,053 families in Murray, 13.80% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Murray:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 7,770 housing units in Murray, Kentucky.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 6,341 81.61%
Vacant 1,429 18.39%

46.00% of the total 7,770 housing units in Murray are rental units. This is approximately 3,574 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 2,615 are occupied by the owner - or 33.66% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Murray is $724.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Murray that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    152
  • Less than $500
    522
  • $500 to $999
    2,152
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    835
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    65
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in Murray is $161,800.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Murray that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    230
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    395
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    503
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    687
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    623
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    139
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    31
  • $1,000,000 or more
    7

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Murray. The chart below shows the number of properties in Murray that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    331
  • 1940 to 1949
    375
  • 1950 to 1959
    691
  • 1960 to 1969
    931
  • 1970 to 1979
    1,386
  • 1980 to 1989
    823
  • 1990 to 1999
    1,493
  • 2000 to 2009
    855
  • 2010 to 2013
    819
  • 2014 or later
    66

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Murray that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    358
  • 1 vehicle available
    3,035
  • 2 vehicles available
    1,978
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    970

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Murray get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Murray that commute to work in a particular way.

11.9 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Murray.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    566
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    4,286
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    1,660
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    551
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    375
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    109
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    399
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    19
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    61
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    232
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    157
  • 90 or more minutes
    33

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Murray, Kentucky in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.