McCracken county is in the Jackson Purchase region of Kentucky. The elevation in the county ranges from 290 to 500 feet above sea level.

It was formed in 1825 from Hickman county. McCracken county was a source of Ballard (1842) county. The county seat is Paducah.

In 2020 the county population was 67,875 in a land area of 248.74 square miles, an average of 272.9 people per square mile.

The equine population was 1,900 in the 2012 Kentucky Equine Survey.

McCracken county is in the Paducah micro statistical area and the Purchase Area Development District.

McCracken county was named to honor Captain Virgil McCracken, who was killed at the River Raisin during the War of 1812.

Part of the Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge is within the county.

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© 2024 David C. Elbon