Best places to live in Kentucky
2 Kentucky metros scored on the default family weighting — schools and safety heaviest, then affordability, climate, college pipeline and jobs. Change the weights on the ranking engine to see your own order.
Who lives in Kentucky
Population-weighted racial and ethnic composition across the 2 tracked Kentucky metros, from Census ACS table B03002.
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 73.8%
- Hispanic or Latino
- 8.1%
- Black (non-Hispanic)
- 10.5%
- Asian (non-Hispanic)
- 3.1%
- Other or two or more
- 4.5%
Diversity index 54/100 — how evenly the population is spread across these groups. It is descriptive, not a judgement: weight it up, down or to zero on the ranking engine.
| # | Metro | Score | US rank | Typical home | Schools | Safety | Climate | Diversity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lexington | 59.4 | #21 of 103 | $325k | 48 | 80 | 24° / 87° | 54 |
| 2 | Louisville | 50.0 | #55 of 103 | $279k | 66 | 80 | 25° / 88° | — |
Figures are compiled estimates. Methodology and sources.