Wallins Creek, KY · standard
ZIP Code 40873
Harlan County, Kentucky - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 2,390
- 31/sq mi Moderate-density area
- $33,359
- Median income Below-median income area
- $88,900
- Median home value Below-median home value
- 5.9%
- Bachelor's or higher Below-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Wallins Creek pairs one of the lowest household incomes in the country with among the most affordable home values nationally, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- 3rd pct
- household income, US ZIPs
- 6th pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 31
- people per sq mi
- 76%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 40873 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 40873 covers 76.8 square miles in Wallins Creek, Harlan County, Kentucky (a standard USPS delivery area), with a modest 2,390 residents on file, a density of 31 people per square mile, in the New York time zone.
ZIP 40873 sits on the lower end of the income spectrum: median household income is $33,359 (44% below the average Kentucky ZIP), while per-capita income is $16,128. Economic pressure is pronounced: 31.8% of residents are below the poverty line and unemployment is 15.1%. Home values sit below the statewide ZIP benchmark: the median is $88,900 (44% below the average Kentucky ZIP), and median rent is $845; owner occupancy is 76.0%.
Formal educational attainment runs low here: just 5.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 42.3, and the average commute is -. The page also surfaces 10 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Harlan County, so 40873 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.
Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 40873, Wallins Creek, KY · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.
Quick Facts
2,390
Population
76.8
Area (sq mi)
31
People / sq mi
New York
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 40873?
42.3
Median Age
39.8%
Male
60.2%
Female
0.0%
Foreign-Born
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How much do residents earn?
$33,359
Median Household Income
-44% vs state ZIP avg
$16,128
Per Capita Income
31.8%
Poverty Rate
15.1%
Unemployment Rate
How ZIP 40873 ranks among Kentucky ZIPs
Wallins Creek, KY household income vs. every Kentucky ZIP code
Median household income among 646 reporting Kentucky ZIPs (this ZIP's population is too small for a reliable national-corpus placement)
$33,359 9th percentile higher than 9% of 646 Kentucky ZIPs
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more Kentucky ZIPs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What is the education profile here?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
Housing stock: occupied vs vacant
992housing units
992
Total Housing Units
815
Occupied Units
177
Vacant Units
2.66
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$88,900
Median Home Value
-44% vs state ZIP avg
$845
Median Rent
1982
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 4 business establishments in ZIP 40873, employing approximately 3 people with a combined annual payroll of $58,000.
4
Businesses
3
Employees
$58K
Annual Payroll
0
Industry Sectors
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.
Nearby ZIP Codes
Want a side-by-side? Compare 40873 vs 40824 →
ZIP 40873 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 40831
Harlan (40831)
5,150 residents
- 40873
Wallins Creek (40873)
2,390 residents
- 40854 1,213
Loyall (40854)
1,213 residents
- 40819 729
Coldiron (40819)
729 residents
- 40845 635
Hulen (40845)
635 residents
- 40824 559
Dayhoit (40824)
559 residents
- 40863 502
Pathfork (40863)
502 residents
- 40840 312
Helton (40840)
312 residents
- 40830 301
Gulston (40830)
301 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 40873 ranks #2 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 40873 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 40829
Grays Knob (40829)
$56,154 median income
- 40854
Loyall (40854)
$55,250 median income
- 40824
Dayhoit (40824)
$49,667 median income
- 40863
Pathfork (40863)
$49,578 median income
- 40831
Harlan (40831)
$35,404 median income
- 40873
Wallins Creek (40873)
$33,359 median income
- 40819
Coldiron (40819)
$31,799 median income
- 40845
Hulen (40845)
$23,450 median income
- 40830 $21,815
Gulston (40830)
$21,815 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 40873 ranks #6 of 9 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
| ZIP Code | City | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40824 | Dayhoit, KY | 559 | 2.1 mi |
| 40819 | Coldiron, KY | 729 | 3.1 mi |
| 40854 | Loyall, KY | 1,213 | 3.6 mi |
| 40840 | Helton, KY | 312 | 5.9 mi |
| 40863 | Pathfork, KY | 502 | 5.8 mi |
| 40831 | Harlan, KY | 5,150 | 5.2 mi |
| 40829 | Grays Knob, KY | 172 | 6.1 mi |
| 40845 | Hulen, KY | 635 | 6.2 mi |
| 40830 | Gulston, KY | 301 | 6.0 mi |
| 40964 | Mary Alice, KY | 151 | 6.1 mi |
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 40873, both outside KY so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar population
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by resident population (2,390 here; floor ≥1,000).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.
More ZIP Codes in Harlan County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 40873 in?
ZIP code 40873 (Wallins Creek) is located in Harlan County, Kentucky. Harlan County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/harlan-ky.
What is the population of ZIP code 40873?
ZIP code 40873 in Wallins Creek, KY has a population of 2,390 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 40873?
The median household income in ZIP 40873 is $33,359, which is 56% below the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 40873?
The median home value in ZIP 40873 is $88,900, which is 68% below the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 40873?
The largest racial group in ZIP 40873 is White at 96.8%.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 40873?
ZIP code 40873 has 4 business establishments employing approximately 3 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What is the education level in ZIP code 40873?
In ZIP code 40873, 44.6% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 5.9% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 40873?
In ZIP code 40873, approximately 76.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 24.0% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 40873?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 40873 is 31.8% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.
Related
Take this with you
What to do with ZIP 40873's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 40873 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Wallins Creek, KY ranks among every U.S. ZIP code on income, education, or homeownership View national rankings
- Save this ZIP to your shortlist to track alongside others you're considering View your shortlist
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census Bureau approximations of USPS ZIP codes; figures describe the ZCTA area, not any single address within it.