Muhlenberg County is a county in Kentucky, United States, about 21 miles west of Madisonville. It had a population of 30,928 at the 2020 census, an estimated 30,634 by 2025, and covers 479 square miles (1,240 km2) centred near 37°13′N 87°09′W.
Greenville is the county seat; its postal code is 42345. The county holds 6 incorporated cities, 3 census-designated places and 27 unincorporated communities, and it runs on Central Time.
Towns & Villages in Muhlenberg County
Muhlenberg County has 36 named places on record: 6 incorporated cities, 3 census-designated places (CDPs) and 27 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. CDP stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers old mining camps and rural crossroads with no formal boundary.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville | City · seat | 4,492 | 42345 |
| Central City | City | 5,819 | 42330 |
| Drakesboro | City | 481 | 42337 |
| Bremen | City | 172 | 42325 |
| South Carrollton | City | 141 | 42374 |
| Powderly | City | 788 | 42367 |
| Beechmont | CDP | 776 | 42323 |
| Cleaton | CDP | 168 | 42332 |
| Dunmor | CDP | 322 | 42339 |
| Beech Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Belton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bevier | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Browder | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Brownie | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Depoy | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Earles | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ebenezer | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ennis | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Frogtown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gishton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Graham | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gus | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Holt | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Knightsburg | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Luzerne | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Martwick | Unincorp. | — | — |
| McNary | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Midland | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Millport | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Moorman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nelson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nonnell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Penrod | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rosewood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Skilesville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Weir | Unincorp. | — | — |
Dunmor sits on the Logan County line, and its 322 residents are split between the two counties — only the Muhlenberg side counts toward this county’s population. South Carrollton, in the county’s southwest corner, is unrelated to the town of Carrollton far to the north in Carroll County.
ZIP Codes
- 42345 — Greenville
- 42330 — Central City
- 42337 — Drakesboro
- 42325 — Bremen
- 42374 — South Carrollton
- 42367 — Powderly (also serves Graham, at the parkway interchange)
- 42323 — Beechmont
- 42332 — Cleaton
- 42339 — Dunmor
The 27 unincorporated communities have no post office of their own; mail for places such as Bevier, Browder and Nelson routes through the nearest city ZIP above.
Geography
Muhlenberg County lies in Kentucky’s Western Coal Field region, a landscape of rolling hills, sandstone bluffs and cypress swamps built on thick coal seams. Of its 479 square miles, 467 square miles are land and 12 square miles are water — 2.6 percent of the total. The Green River, a 300-mile tributary of the Ohio River, crosses the county and historically carried coal barges to market. Lake Malone, a 788-acre reservoir near Dunmor, is ringed by sandstone cliffs and a natural bridge inside Lake Malone State Park.
Seven counties border Muhlenberg: McLean County to the north, Ohio County to the northeast, Butler County to the east, Logan County to the southeast, Todd County to the south, Christian County to the southwest and Hopkins County to the west.
Demographics
Muhlenberg County had 30,928 residents at the 2020 census, an estimated 30,634 by 2025. Central City is the largest community at 5,819 people, followed by the county seat, Greenville, at 4,492. Median household income in the county runs about $51,927, well under Kentucky’s statewide figure of $61,118 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 66 people per square mile of land.
Economy & Local Life
Health care and social assistance is the county’s largest employment sector, with about 2,331 workers, followed by manufacturing at 1,919 and educational services at 1,378. Major employers include the TVA Paradise Combined Cycle Plant and Kentucky Utilities’ Green River Generating Station, the Green River Correctional Complex and Muhlenberg Community Hospital, both in or near Central City, plus Dyno Nobel, the Armstrong Coal Parkway Mine, the KenAmerican Paradise Underground Mine and a Kentucky National Guard training center. Central City is also home to the Kentucky Women’s Hall of Fame, and it hosts an annual Labor Day weekend cruise-in and car show.
History
Kentucky formed Muhlenberg County in 1798 out of Logan and Christian counties, its 34th county, and named it for General Peter Muhlenberg, a Revolutionary War officer. Greenville was settled in 1799 on land donated by William Campbell and incorporated as a city in 1848. Central City began in 1826 as Morehead’s Horse Mill, grew with the railroad in the 1870s, incorporated as Stroud City in 1873, and was reincorporated under its present name in 1882 after the du Ponts’ Central Coal and Iron Company arrived. A 1912 mine explosion there killed five workers. Coal and dark-fired tobacco built the county’s economy so thoroughly that a 1987 reference guide called Greenville “the unofficial capital of the Black Belt.” Strip mining for the TVA power plant erased the riverside community of Paradise in the 1960s, the loss songwriter John Prine memorialized in his 1971 song “Paradise.”
Getting There
No interstate crosses Muhlenberg County. The four-lane Western Kentucky Parkway is the main artery, running through Hopkins, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Butler, Grayson and Hardin counties with interchanges at Graham (KY 175), Powderly (KY 181) and Central City (US 431/KY 70). US 431 also runs the length of the county toward McLean County to the north.
- Madisonville — about 21 miles west
- Owensboro — about 32 miles north
- Hopkinsville — about 36 miles southwest
- Bowling Green — about 44 miles southeast
The nearest airport with commercial service is Nashville International Airport, about 81 miles south. CSX freight tracks run through Central City; no Amtrak line serves the county.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Muhlenberg County, Kentucky located?
Muhlenberg County is a county in Kentucky, United States, in the state’s Western Coal Field region, about 21 miles west of Madisonville.
What is the population of Muhlenberg County?
Muhlenberg County has a population of 30,928 according to the 2020 census, estimated at 30,634 by 2025.
How big is Muhlenberg County?
Muhlenberg County covers 479 square miles (1,240 km2), of which 467 square miles are land and 12 square miles are water.
What is the county seat of Muhlenberg County?
Greenville is the county seat. Central City, a few miles north, is the county’s largest city.
How many towns and villages are in Muhlenberg County?
The county has 36 named places: 6 incorporated cities, 3 census-designated places and 27 unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Muhlenberg County?
Nine ZIP codes cover the county, from 42345 in Greenville to 42339 in Dunmor; the full list is above.
What is Muhlenberg County known for?
Coal mining, dark-fired tobacco, and the vanished riverside community of Paradise, the subject of John Prine’s 1971 song of the same name.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kentucky.