This article, the twenty-eighth in a 50-state series, ranks the best places to live in Kentucky based on three criteria: (1) median household income (adjusted for cost of living); (2) educational attainment (% of residents 25 years and over who have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher); and (3) property crime rates per 1,000 residents (burglary and automobile thefts). For purposes of these rankings, “places” are incorporated municipalities with populations greater than 1,000.
Among the twenty best places to live in Kentucky, fourteen are suburbs of Louisville and six are suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio. By county, thirteen of the best places to live in Kentucky are located in or partially in Jefferson County, three in Kenton County, two in Campbell County, two in or partially in Oldham County, and one in Boone County.
After reading “Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011),” return to this link to read “Largest Cities in Kentucky (2011).” A collection of similar articles for the remaining 49 states can be found at these links: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
For the culmination of the 50-state series, read “Best Places to Live in America (2011).”
1. Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011) – Anchorage, KY (Jefferson County)
Population: 2,980
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $148,973
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 78.4%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.63
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Frankfort, KY: 41 miles ESE
Louisville, KY: 15 miles W
2. Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011) – Indian Hills, KY (Jefferson County)
Population: 3,269
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $143,098
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 78.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.66
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Frankfort, KY: 51 miles ESE
Louisville, KY: 6 miles WSW
3. Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011) – Prospect, KY (Jefferson and Oldham Counties)
Population: 5,405
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $143,078
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 64.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.88*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Frankfort, KY: 53 miles ESE
Louisville, KY: 11 miles SW
4. Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011) – Barbourmeade, KY (Jefferson County)
Population: 1,373
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $102,041
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 64.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.49
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Frankfort, KY: 50 miles ESE
Louisville, KY: 11 miles SW
5. Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011) – Pewee Valley, KY (Oldham County)
Population: 1,336
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $96,501
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 41.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 0.0
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Frankfort, KY: 43 miles ESE
Louisville, KY: 18 miles WSW
6. Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011) – Hurstbourne, KY (Jefferson County)
Population: 4,212
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $92,334
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 56.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.88*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Frankfort, KY: 45 miles ESE
Louisville, KY: 10 miles N
7. Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011) – Edgewood, KY (Kenton County)
Population: 8,906
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $93,478
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 48.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.27
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Frankfort, KY: 73 miles SSW
Cincinnati, OH: 8 miles NNE
8. Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011) – Union, KY (Boone County)
Population: 3,540
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $102,842
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 44.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.84
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Frankfort, KY: 63 miles S
Cincinnati, OH: 17 miles NE
9. Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011) – Langdon Place, KY (Jefferson County)
Population: 1,022
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $87,826
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 51.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.49
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Frankfort, KY: 49 miles ESE
Louisville, KY: 12 miles WSW
10. Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011) – Northfield, KY (Jefferson County)
Population: 1,277
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $83,153
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 56.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.88*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Frankfort, KY: 50 miles ESE
Louisville, KY: 9 miles WSW
11. Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011) – Villa Hills, KY (Kenton County)
Population: 7,715
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $90,043
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 49.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.87
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Frankfort, KY: 74 miles SSW
Cincinnati, OH: 8 miles NW
12. Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011) – Windy Hills, KY (Jefferson County)
Population: 2,640
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $77,350
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 57.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.88*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Frankfort, KY: 50 miles ESE
Louisville, KY: 8 miles WSW
13. Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011) – Beechwood Village, KY (Jefferson County)
Population: 1,353
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $80,295
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 51.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.88*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Frankfort, KY: 48 miles ESE
Louisville, KY: 8 miles W
14. Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011) – St. Regis Park, KY (Jefferson County)
Population: 1,549
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $77,659
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 48.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.88*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Frankfort, KY: 46 miles E
Louisville, KY: 9 miles WNW
15. Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011) – Lakeside Park, KY (Kenton County)
Population: 2,681
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $79,155
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 42.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.71
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Frankfort, KY: 73 miles SSW
Cincinnati, OH: 7 miles NNE
16. Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011) – Fort Thomas, KY (Campbell County)
Population: 15,334
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $71,703
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 43.6%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.65
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Frankfort, KY: 84 miles SSW
Cincinnati, OH: 5 miles NW
17. Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011) – Cold Spring, KY (Campbell County)
Population: 5,636
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $73,688
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 36.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.47
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Frankfort, KY: 82 miles SSW
Cincinnati, OH: 8 miles NNW
18. Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011) – Worthington Hills, KY (Jefferson County)
Population: 1,894
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $66,401
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 38.7%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.79
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Frankfort, KY: 47 miles ESE
Louisville, KY: 16 miles WSW
19. Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011) – Douglass Hills (Jefferson County)
Population: 5,870
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $71,967
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 43.7%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.88*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Frankfort, KY: 41 miles E
Louisville, KY: 15 miles WNW
20. Best Places to Live in Kentucky (2011) – Audubon Park, KY (Jefferson County)
Population: 1,679
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $82,135
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 46.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 15.51
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Frankfort, KY: 54 miles E
Louisville, KY: 5 miles NNW
*In some cases, municipalities do not report their crime statistics to the FBI or they contract for services with the state or a county law enforcement agency. For those towns, crime rates are extrapolated from municipal, county, state, or contiguous municipality data.
The sources used in support of this article include the latest 1, 3, and 5-year estimates from the U.S. Census and the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report.
More Articles from J.C. Grant
“Average ACT Scores by State (2010)”
“Average SAT Scores by State (2010)”
“Largest U.S. Cities: Population Size (2011)”
“Most_Dangerous_Cities_in_America – Murder Rates”
State Education Rankings: Graduation Rates for High School, College, and Grad/Professional School
“State Education Rankings: SAT Scores”
Source(s):
“All Cities in Kentucky,” City-Data.com
“2009 ACS 1-year Estimates,” U.S. Census Bureau
“2007-2009 ACS 3-year Estimates,” U.S. Census Bureau
“2006-2008 ACS 3-year Estimates,” U.S. Census Bureau
“2005-2009 ACS 5-Year Estimates,” U.S. Census Bureau
Uniform Crime Report,” Federal Bureau of Investigation
