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Moving to Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky

Eastern Kentucky pays new residents up to $5,000 through Move to Eastern Kentucky. Here is what life costs in Pike County, home of Eastern Kentucky, where people work, what there is to do, and remote jobs you can bring with you.
  • $5,000Paid to move hereMove to Eastern Kentucky
  • $112,000Typical home value1Pike County
  • $858Typical rent1Utilities included
  • 54,721Population-6.7% since 2020

By Sol Lakein.Checked November 4, 2026.How we compare costs

Get paid to move to Eastern Kentucky

Tap a program for who qualifies, how it pays, whether it is open and the official link.

Every program in Kentucky

Made the move: Katie in Eastern Kentucky

A real move, as reported in the news. Slower Sundays is not affiliated with this person or the program.

From the news

Katie moved to Eastern Kentucky from Central New York (about 30 miles from Syracuse)

“We just fell in love with the countryside.”

Katie relocated from upstate New York to Johnson County through SOAR's remote-worker program. Working remotely made the move possible, and lower property taxes plus the open countryside sealed the decision.

Source: Lexington Herald-Leader (via Yahoo), July 2024

Did you know?

Red River Gorge, in Eastern Kentucky's Daniel Boone National Forest, holds more than 100 sandstone arches and other natural rock formations.

Source: National Forest Foundation, February 2026

A fact about Eastern Kentucky

What it costs to live in Eastern Kentucky

Pike County next to Kentucky and the US.1
MeasurePike CountyKentuckyUnited States
Typical home value$112,000$205,600$332,700
Monthly owner costs with a mortgage$1,278$1,433$1,963
Typical rent, with utilities$858$967$1,413
Typical household income$44,312$63,726$80,734
Homes lived in by their owners75.3%68.3%65.2%
Households with broadband83.2%88.6%91.0%
Average commute, one way25 min24 min26 min

On the typical home here, the mortgage comes to about $615 a month2.

Jobs and work in Pike County

  • 16,918Jobs at local employers2023, +1.9% vs 2022
  • 1,109Employer businesses2023
  • 2,768Self-employed businessesNonemployer firms, 2024
  • 83.2%Households with broadbandUS: 91.0%

43.5% of residents 16 and older are in the labor force, the average commute is 25.3 minutes, and 17.8% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree1,3. Builders pulled permits for 14 new homes in 2025.

Remote jobs you can do from Eastern Kentucky

1 of Eastern Kentucky's 2 programs requires a full-time remote job. These are current remote openings for people living in the US.

Loading current remote jobs.

Things to do in Eastern Kentucky

Notable places in Pike County, by type.4

Parks, lakes and the outdoors

  • Rogers Park
  • Blackberry Fork Park

Museums, theaters and libraries

  • College Street Historic District
  • Pikeville Commercial Historic District
  • Scott Avenue Historic District
  • Third Street Historic District
  • Huffman Avenue Historic District

Thinking about Eastern Kentucky? Get the free moving guide

12 pages: what a move costs, hiring movers safely, an 8-week checklist and how to apply for programs like these.

Get the guide

Moving to Eastern Kentucky: questions people ask

Does Eastern Kentucky pay you to move there?

Yes. Move to Eastern Kentucky: $5,000 cash; Catalyze EKY (founders): $5,000 cash. Each program has its own rules, status and official link on its page, checked October 30, 2026.

How much does it cost to live in Eastern Kentucky?

In Pike County, the median owner-occupied home is valued at $112,000 and median gross rent is $858 a month (US Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024). Kentucky: $205,600 and $967. United States: $332,700 and $1,413. With 20% down at 7.32%, principal and interest on a home at the county median value come to about $615 a month (our arithmetic).

Is Eastern Kentucky a good place to live?

It depends on what you need. On the numbers: home values in Pike County are below the US median, household income is below the US median, and the population fell 6.7% from April 2020 to July 2025 (US Census Bureau). Visit before you decide.

Can I work remotely from Eastern Kentucky?

83.2% of households in Pike County have a broadband subscription (US: 91.0%; ACS 2020-2024). 1 of the 2 local programs requires a full-time remote job.

What is there to do in Eastern Kentucky?

Notable places in Pike County include Rogers Park, Blackberry Fork Park, College Street Historic District, Pikeville Commercial Historic District. The full list by type is on this page (Wikidata).

Other Kentucky towns that pay you to move

Notes on the numbers
  1. 1Costs and people: US Census Bureau QuickFacts, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates (dollars in 2024 terms), read November 4, 2026. "Typical" is the median. Census figures cover all homes and renters, not just recent sales or new leases. QuickFacts
  2. 2Mortgage: principal and interest on the county's typical home value with 20% down at 7.32% (Freddie Mac 30-year fixed average, week of October 22, 2026), our arithmetic. Rate source
  3. 3Jobs and businesses: US Census Bureau QuickFacts, County Business Patterns 2023, Nonemployer Statistics 2024, Building Permits Survey 2025, ACS 2020-2024.
  4. 4Things to do: notable places from Wikidata (CC0), read November 4, 2026. Know a place we should add? Email hello@slowersundays.com.
Sources for this page