Perry County is a county in Kentucky, United States, in the coalfields of the Appalachian foothills. It had a population of 28,473 at the 2020 census and covers 343 square miles (890 km2) centred near 37°14′N 83°14′W.
Hazard is the county seat, and its postal code is 41701. The county holds a handful of incorporated cities and towns plus dozens of unincorporated coal-camp communities, and sits in the Eastern time zone.
Towns & Villages in Perry County
Perry County’s map is dotted with more than 50 named places, most of them former coal-camp settlements strung along Kentucky Route 15 and the branches of the North Fork Kentucky River. Only Hazard and Vicco are incorporated cities; a few places are Census-Designated Places (CDP); everything else is an unincorporated community (Unincorp.) known mainly by its post office name.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hazard | City · seat | 5,263 | 41701 |
| Vicco | City | — | 41773 |
| Buckhorn | City | — | 41721 |
| Combs | CDP | — | 41729 |
| Diablock | CDP | — | — |
| Jeff | CDP | — | 41751 |
| Airport Gardens | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Allais | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ary | Unincorp. | — | 41712 |
| Avawam | Unincorp. | — | 41713 |
| Blue Diamond | Unincorp. | — | 41714 |
| Bonnyman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Browns Fork | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bulan | Unincorp. | — | 41722 |
| Busy | Unincorp. | — | 41723 |
| Butterfly | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Chavies | Unincorp. | — | 41727 |
| Christopher | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Clemons | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cornettsville | Unincorp. | — | 41731 |
| Daisy | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Darfork | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Defiance | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Delphia | Unincorp. | — | 41735 |
| Dice | Unincorp. | — | 41736 |
| Doorway | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dow | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dunraven | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dwarf | Unincorp. | — | 41739 |
| Engle | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Farler | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fourseam | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fusonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gays Creek | Unincorp. | — | 41745 |
| Glomawr | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Grigsby | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Happy | Unincorp. | — | 41746 |
| Hardburly | Unincorp. | — | 41747 |
| Harveyton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hilton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hiner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kodak | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Krypton | Unincorp. | — | 41754 |
| Lamont | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Leatherwood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lothair | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Manuel | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Napfor | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Saul | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Scuddy | Unincorp. | — | 41760 |
| Slemp | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Stacy | Unincorp. | — | 41764 |
| Tilford | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tribbey | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Typo | Unincorp. | — | 41766 |
| Viper | Unincorp. | — | 41774 |
| Walkertown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wentz | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Woodland Park | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Yerkes | Unincorp. | — | — |
“Allock” and “Diablock” from the old list are both genuine mining-camp names in the county’s Bull Creek area; both are kept. No county-line straddlers are known here.
ZIP Codes
- 41701 — Hazard (also serves the surrounding county seat area)
- 41773 — Vicco
- 41721 — Buckhorn
- 41729 — Combs
- 41727 — Chavies
- 41722 — Bulan
- 41723 — Busy
- 41754 — Krypton
- 41739 — Dwarf
Many of the smaller coal-camp communities share a nearby town’s ZIP code rather than having their own post office; those are marked with a dash in the table above.
Geography
Perry County sits in the rugged Cumberland Plateau of southeastern Kentucky, its narrow valleys and steep ridgelines carved by the North Fork Kentucky River and its many creeks. The terrain is almost entirely forested hill country, with the North Fork running roughly north through Hazard toward the Ohio River basin.
Perry County borders Breathitt County to the northwest, Knott County to the east, Letcher County to the southeast, Harlan County to the south, Leslie County to the southwest, Clay County to the west, and Owsley County to the northwest.
Demographics
Perry County had 28,473 residents at the 2020 census. Hazard, the county seat, is by far the largest community; Vicco is a distant second among the incorporated places. Median household income in the county runs well below the Kentucky median of $61,118, consistent with the wider central Appalachian coalfield. Population density is roughly 84 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Coal mining built Perry County and, though diminished from its mid-20th-century peak, still shapes its economy alongside health care and education. Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center is one of the largest employers in southeastern Kentucky, and Hazard Community and Technical College anchors education and workforce training. Past coal operators in the county have included Arch Coal, James River Coal Company, and TECO Coal. The Black Gold Festival, held in Hazard each September, is the county’s best-known annual event.
History
Perry County was formed on November 2, 1820, from parts of Clay, Floyd, and Knox counties. Both the county and its seat, Hazard, are named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the naval hero of the War of 1812’s Battle of Lake Erie. The area was part of Fincastle and then Kentucky County, Virginia, before Kentucky became a state in 1792. The county’s fortunes rose sharply with the arrival of the railroad and large-scale coal mining in the early 20th century, and it has weathered the industry’s long decline since the 1980s.
Getting There
Kentucky Route 15 and the Hal Rogers Parkway (KY 80) are the county’s main highways, linking Hazard to the rest of the eastern Kentucky coalfield.
- Hindman (Knott County) — about 15 miles east
- Whitesburg (Letcher County) — about 30 miles southeast
- Jackson (Breathitt County) — about 20 miles northwest
- Lexington — about 90 miles northwest
The nearest sizeable commercial airport is Blue Grass Airport in Lexington; Hazard also has a small general-aviation airport, Hazard/Perry County Airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Perry County, Kentucky?
It is in the Cumberland Plateau of southeastern Kentucky, in the state’s eastern coalfield region.
What is the population of Perry County?
28,473 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Perry County?
343 square miles (890 km2), of which 340 square miles (880 km2) is land.
What is the county seat of Perry County?
Hazard is the county seat.
How many towns are in Perry County?
Two incorporated cities, Hazard and Vicco, plus dozens of unincorporated communities and a few Census-Designated Places.
What ZIP codes are in Perry County?
Hazard’s ZIP code is 41701; other towns including Vicco, Buckhorn, Combs, and Chavies have their own ZIP codes, listed above.
Why is Perry County named Perry?
It honors Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the naval hero of the War of 1812, as does its county seat, Hazard.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kentucky.