Calloway County, Kentucky

Calloway County is a county in Kentucky, United States, in the far southwest corner of the
state, about 40 miles south of Paducah on the Tennessee line. It had a population of 37,103 at
the 2020 census, an estimated 39,421 by 2025, and covers 411 square miles (1,064 km2) centred
near 36°37′N 88°16′W.

Murray is the county seat and the county’s only city of any size; its postal code is 42071.
The county holds 2 cities, 1 census-designated place and more than 20 unincorporated
communities, and it runs on Central Time. Its FIPS code is 21035.

Towns & Villages in Calloway County

Calloway County has 25 named places on record: 2 incorporated cities, 1 census-designated
place and 22 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. CDP stands for
census designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities with no formal
boundary.

The county’s earlier posted list carried a dozen names — Almo Heights, Bakers
Crossroads, Five Points, Fort Heiman, Irvin Cobb Resort, New Providence, North Murray, Pleasant
Hill, Pottertown, South Murray, Van Cleave and West Murray — that trace to no gazetteer
entry for the county and are dropped from this list. North, South and West Murray read as
directional neighborhoods inside the city rather than separate places.

ZIP Codes

• 42071 — Murray (the county’s most populous ZIP, also serves the university district)
• 42049 — Hazel
• 42036 — Dexter
• 42020 — Almo
• 42054 — Kirksey
• 42076 — New Concord

Backusburg, Bethel, Blood, Boatwright, Coldwater, Crossland, Elm Grove, Faxon, Hamlin, Harris
Grove, Hico, Lynn Grove, Midway, Penny, Protemus, Shiloh, Stella, Wadesboro and Wiswell have no
ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered under Murray’s or Hazel’s code, depending on
which is closer by rural route.

Geography

Calloway County sits in the Jackson Purchase region of far western Kentucky, a low, gently
rolling plain that was the last part of the state acquired from the Chickasaw Nation. Of its 411
square miles, 385 are land and 26 are water, about 6.3 percent — most of it Kentucky Lake,
the Tennessee River reservoir that laps the county’s eastern edge near Hamlin and Blood, and
Clarks River, which drains the county’s western half toward the Tennessee River.

Marshall County lies to the north, Trigg County to the northeast, Stewart County, Tennessee to
the southeast, Henry County, Tennessee to the south, and Graves County to the west. Marshall County, Trigg County, Stewart County, Henry County and Graves County all border Calloway
directly.

Demographics

Calloway County had a population of 37,103 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts
the county near 39,421 residents. Murray, home to Murray State University, holds close to half
the county’s population by itself, with Hazel and Dexter far behind. Median household income
runs $52,706 (Data USA), below Kentucky’s statewide 2023 ACS figure of $61,118, a gap the
county’s large full-time student population helps explain. Population density works out to
roughly 96 people per square mile of land, low even by rural western Kentucky standards outside
the Murray urban cluster.

Economy & Local Life

Educational services employs the most workers in the county, about 2,749 people, followed by
manufacturing at 2,287 and retail trade at 2,136. Murray State University is the county’s single
largest institution, drawing more than 10,000 students and employing faculty and staff across
its 11 associate, 64 bachelor’s and 42 master’s programs. Murray Electric System, a locally owned
municipal utility, supplies power, telecommunications and internet across the city. Murray State
Racers home football and basketball games each fall and winter draw the county’s largest
recurring crowds, filling hotels and restaurants along US 641.

History

The Kentucky legislature formed Calloway County on 3 November 1822, carving it out of Hickman
County land recently opened by the Jackson Purchase. It was named for Colonel Richard Callaway,
a co-founder of Boonesborough who was killed by Shawnee raiders in 1780. A courthouse fire in
1906 destroyed nearly all of the county’s early records, leaving a gap that still limits
genealogical research into the county’s first decades. Murray was incorporated in 1844, named
for U.S. Representative John L. Murray, and grew into the county’s commercial center after the
Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway reached it in the 1890s.

Getting There

No interstate crosses Calloway County; US 641 and the Purchase Parkway carry most through
traffic, along with KY 94, KY 121 and KY 280.

• Paducah — about 40 miles north
• Clarksville, Tennessee — about 65 miles southeast
• Nashville, Tennessee — about 120 miles southeast
• Paris, Tennessee — about 25 miles south

Barkley Regional Airport in Paducah, about 45 miles north, is the nearest airport with
scheduled commercial service. Murray’s own Kyle-Oakley Field handles general aviation. Amtrak
does not serve Calloway County; the nearest station is in Fulton, roughly 60 miles southwest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Calloway County located?
It sits in the Jackson Purchase region of far southwestern Kentucky, about 40 miles south of
Paducah, on the Tennessee state line.

What is the population of Calloway County?
37,103 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 39,421.

How big is Calloway County?
411 square miles (1,064 km2), of which 385 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Calloway County?
Murray is the county seat, incorporated in 1844 and home to Murray State University.

How many towns and communities are in Calloway County?
Two cities, Murray and Hazel, plus the Dexter census-designated place and about 22 unincorporated
communities including Almo, Kirksey and New Concord.

What ZIP codes does Calloway County use?
42071 for Murray, 42049 for Hazel, 42036 for Dexter, 42020 for Almo, 42054 for Kirksey and 42076
for New Concord.

What is Calloway County known for?
Murray State University, its “moist county” alcohol laws that permit sales only inside Murray,
and Kentucky Lake along its eastern edge.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kentucky.