The citizens of Harlan are slightly better educated than the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns, with 24.02% of adults in Harlan having a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.
The per capita income in Harlan in 2022 was $21,108, which is lower middle income relative to Kentucky, and low income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $84,432 for a family of four. However, Harlan contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Harlan also has one of the higher rates of people living in poverty in the nation, with 41.46% of its population below the federal poverty line.
The people who call Harlan home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Harlan residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Harlan include English, German, Irish, Italian, and Scottish.
The most common language spoken in Harlan is English. Other important languages spoken here include Vietnamese and Russian.
