ZIP Code 40831 — Harlan city, KY Demographics & Data

ZIP code 40831 covers Harlan, KY in Harlan County with a population of about 4,719.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 42.1 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 606; U.S. House district KY-5; the KNOXVILLE media market.

Median household income in ZIP 40831 is about $35,417 — about 53% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 25.8%; unemployment rate near 11.3%; 19.4% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 14.3 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Education, and Retail trade; about 5.8% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 9.4 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $106,500 — about 69% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $448 (about 61% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 56.8% (about 8.7 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 40831 in Harlan, KY, a household would need roughly $29,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $684. That sits below the local median household income ($35,417), suggesting the typical household income is closer to a workable buy-in level under these assumptions. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Harlan city, KY as Relatively Low (composite score 65.7), which is near the middle of the national distribution. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (79.9) and wildfire (69.8). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Harlan city, KY show little to no average snow and around 52.2 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 176 for ZIP 40831 (Harlan city, KY) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.