# Carter, Kentucky — #1,458 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 6.35 of 10. FIPS 21043. Population 26,366. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 26,400 people live in Carter, Kentucky. It ranks #1,458 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #67 of 120 in Kentucky. The combined sales tax is 6%, lower than in 62% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.45% of a home's value each year, less than in 85% of counties. Local government employs a larger share of working residents than in 65% of counties. The homicide rate is lower than in 55% of counties. Life expectancy is 70 years or less, shorter than in 94% of counties. Air quality is better than in 68% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 38), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 57% of counties. On this site's state scores, Kentucky gets 5.8 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 5.80 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 6.23 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 7.89 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 8.78 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 4.55 |  |
| Property tax | county | 7.75 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 3.06 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 0.00 |  |
| Government employees | county | 3.25 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 7.10 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #1544 Greenup, Kentucky — https://libertymoving.org/counties/21089.md
- #551 Elliott, Kentucky — https://libertymoving.org/counties/21063.md
- #1500 Lewis, Kentucky — https://libertymoving.org/counties/21135.md
- #2162 Boyd, Kentucky — https://libertymoving.org/counties/21019.md
- #2006 Lawrence, Kentucky — https://libertymoving.org/counties/21127.md
- #1788 Rowan, Kentucky — https://libertymoving.org/counties/21205.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/21043
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=21043
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy