Hopkins County is a county in Kentucky, United States, in the Western Coal Field region of the state. It had a population of 45,423 at the 2020 census and covers 554 square miles (1,430 km2), centred near 37°31′N 87°54′W.
Madisonville is the county seat, and its postal code is 42431. The county has nine incorporated cities, one census-designated place, and more than a dozen unincorporated communities. Hopkins County sits in the Central time zone and anchors the Madisonville, Kentucky Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Towns & Villages in Hopkins County
Hopkins County’s places range from the county seat down to small unincorporated crossroads left over from its coal-mining past. The table below marks incorporated cities and towns, the one census-designated place (CDP), and unincorporated communities.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madisonville | City · seat | 19,591 | 42431 |
| Dawson Springs | City | 2,483 | 42408 |
| Earlington | City | 1,466 | 42410 |
| Hanson | City | 746 | 42413 |
| Mortons Gap | City | 870 | 42440 |
| Nortonville | City | 1,127 | 42442 |
| Nebo | City | 253 | 42441 |
| White Plains | City | 200 | 42464 |
| St. Charles | City | 259 | 42416 |
| Manitou | CDP | — | — |
| Anton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ashbyburg | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Barnsley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Charleston | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Coiltown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dalton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Daniel Boone | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fiddle Bow | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fies | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Grapevine | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hecla | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ilsley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Richland | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sixth Vein | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wicks Well | Unincorp. | — | — |
Dawson Springs straddles the Hopkins–Caldwell county line, with most of the town on the Hopkins side. Several unincorporated names on this list — Coiltown, Sixth Vein, Fies, Hecla — date from Hopkins County’s early-20th-century coal camps and survive today as small settled clusters rather than active mining towns.
ZIP Codes
- 42431 — Madisonville
- 42408 — Dawson Springs
- 42410 — Earlington
- 42413 — Hanson
- 42440 — Mortons Gap
- 42442 — Nortonville
- 42441 — Nebo
- 42464 — White Plains
- 42416 — St. Charles
The county’s unincorporated communities and the Manitou CDP use the ZIP code of whichever incorporated city is nearest along their rural route.
Geography
Hopkins County lies in Kentucky’s Western Coal Field, a belt of rolling, forested hills cut by strip-mined and reclaimed land. The county’s terrain is drained mainly by the Pond River along its western edge and by numerous small creeks feeding the Green River watershed to the east. Lake Beshear, a reservoir near Dawson Springs, is the county’s principal recreational lake, sitting inside Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park.
Hopkins County borders Webster County to the northwest, McLean County to the northeast, Muhlenberg County to the southeast, Christian County to the south, and Caldwell County to the southwest. Of these, only Muhlenberg County is currently linked on this site.
Demographics
Hopkins County had 45,423 residents at the 2020 census, giving a density of about 82 people per square mile. Madisonville is by far the largest community, followed by Dawson Springs. The county’s median household income runs below the Kentucky median of $61,118, reflecting the area’s long transition away from coal employment toward manufacturing, health care, and retail work.
Economy & Local Life
Hopkins County was historically one of Kentucky’s leading coal producers, ranked the second-largest coal-producing county in the Western Coal Field by 1970. Coal mining has declined sharply since, and the local economy now leans on manufacturing, health care centred on Baptist Health Madisonville, and agriculture — soybeans, corn, and tobacco remain the county’s major row crops. Madisonville Community College, part of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, serves the county from its Madisonville campus. The Madisonville Messenger, published since 1917, is the county’s newspaper of record.
History
Hopkins County was formed on December 9, 1806, from part of Henderson County. It is named for General Samuel Hopkins, a Revolutionary War and War of 1812 officer who later served as a Kentucky legislator and U.S. congressman. Coal mining took hold in the county in the late 19th century and dominated its economy through much of the 20th, leaving behind the many small former coal-camp communities that still dot the county today, among them Coiltown, Fies, and Sixth Vein.
Getting There
The Pennyrile Parkway and U.S. Route 41 run north–south through the county, connecting Madisonville to Henderson and to Hopkinsville. U.S. Route 62 crosses east–west through the county seat.
- Owensboro — 30 miles northeast
- Hopkinsville — 35 miles south
- Evansville, Indiana — 45 miles north
- Bowling Green — 60 miles southeast
The nearest commercial airport is Evansville Regional Airport in Indiana.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hopkins County?
It is in western Kentucky, part of the Western Coal Field region, centred near Madisonville.
What is the population of Hopkins County?
45,423 residents at the 2020 census.
How big is Hopkins County?
554 square miles (1,430 km2), of which 542 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Hopkins County?
Madisonville is the county seat and largest city.
How many towns are in Hopkins County?
Nine incorporated cities, one census-designated place, and more than a dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Hopkins County?
Nine ZIP codes cover the county, from 42431 (Madisonville) to 42464 (White Plains).
Why does Hopkins County have so many old coal-camp names?
The county was a major coal producer through the mid-20th century, and many mining companies built named camps — like Coiltown and Sixth Vein — that remain today as small unincorporated communities.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kentucky.