It has a population of around 2,020 (2022)[2] The village lies on the River Ayr which previously provided water power for local industry.

[4] Catrine was constructed around one of the first cotton mills in Scotland in 1787 by Claud Alexander of Ballochmyle (who had made a not insignificant fortune as Commissary General in India) in partnership with David Dale.

[5] A plan of Catrine at that time shows the hamlet consisted of 11 buildings, including a smithy and corn mill.

[7] In 1802, two artificial lochs, covering between them 120 acres (0.49 km2), were constructed above Muirkirk, near the village of Glenbuck, to supply the cotton works.

Nether Catrine House was the country seat of the philosopher Dugald Stewart, Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh from 1785 and is located on the south bank of the River Ayr.

The site of the former bleaching works of Messrs Finlay & Co. is now occupied by Glen Catrine Bond which bottles whisky and vodka and markets them under a number of different brand names.

Catrine Community Trust is actively engaged in seeking funding to conserve and restore these for future generations to enjoy.