Living in Salyersville, Kentucky: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 14.7% below the U.S. average in the parts of Kentucky outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Salyersville to say.
A safer neighborhood1 violent crime was reported in 2025, about 0.7 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 0.7 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town5 public schools: 3 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byPaintsville Arh Hospital in Paintsville, about 15 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityCincinnati is about 124 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Salyersville meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Worth a closer look

Salyersville has lost about 5% of its people since 2020. A shrinking town can mean bargains, but visit Main Street on a weekday and ask what's closed lately.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical rent, with utilities: $693 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $20,580U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 52%U.S.: 65%
Homes built before 1940: 11%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 13%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 1%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 85.3U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Kentucky outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Kentucky outside metro areas, not Salyersville alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 1,5022020: 1,585
Median age: 46.9 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 24%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 21%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 10%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 3%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (18%)
Work from home: 5%U.S.: 15%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Paintsville Arh Hospital, Paintsville, KY, about 15 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 2 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

5 public schools in Salyersville, run by Magoffin County.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Kentucky's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 78%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 91%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 23°F
July average high: 86°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 21 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 112 a year
Rain and melted snow: 51.9 inches a year
Snow: 23 inches a year
Elevation: 1,118 feet

Weather stations: Salyersville Wtr Wks (less than a mile away) and Jackson (17 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Paintsville Arh HospitalEmergency room15

Lexington-Fayette, KYCity of 330,00079

Cincinnati, OHMetro of 2.3 million124

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Paintsville Arh Hospital, Lexington-Fayette, Cincinnati.

Magoffin County is outside any metro area, with fewer than 5,000 people in its towns, not next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 9, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

Read about Salyersville's history on Wikipedia.

Know Salyersville?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Paintsville, KY4,100 people, 15 miles
West Liberty, KY3,300 people, 16 miles
Prestonsburg, KY3,600 people, 17 miles
Jackson, KY2,100 people, 21 miles
Coal Run Village, KY1,600 people, 31 miles
Wheelwright, KY1,000 people, 34 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.