Payne Gap is a community in Letcher County, Kentucky, home to about 440 people across 2.3 square miles. It has no ZIP code of its own: it’s part of 41537.
Homes sold for a median of $78 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a buyer’s market.
Mostly Jenkins; part is in Payne Gap
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Payne Gap. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Payne Gap’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS)121 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Tri-Cities Regional TN/VA Airport (TRI)51 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Lexington-Fayette, KY115 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL418 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Payne Gap; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Payne Gap had 347 residents in the 2020 census, up 5% since 2010.
It’s the 370th largest of 553 towns in Kentucky by population.
Letcher County grew from 9,172 residents in 1900 to 21,548 in 2020.
Letcher County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 82°F in summer, and winter lows average 22°F. About 49.2 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 38 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Clintwood 1w, VA weather station (9 miles away).
3,171 jobs at 277 businesses in Letcher County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
7 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Payne Gap.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 2 |
|---|---|
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 4 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 1 |
| Pharmacies | 6 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Libraries
Counts are within about 1 mile of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Public schools here are run by Jenkins Independent. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jenkins Independent SchoolJenkins | Pre-K–12 | 453 | Public | 2.0 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Jenkins.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.