Cost of living in Kentucky

Kentucky at a glance

Median rent

$967

Census ACS, B25064, monthly

Median household income

$63,726

Census ACS, B19013, yearly

Median home value

$205,600

Census ACS, B25077

Median property tax bill

$1,544

Census ACS, B25103, yearly, current owners

Mean commute

24 min

Census ACS, DP03, one way

Unemployment

4.9%

Census ACS, DP03

Kentucky's own published state rows, never an average of its counties. Prices overall run 10% below the national average (BEA regional price parity, 2024).

Figures from the 2024 release of the Census American Community Survey, checked September 2026. Health, hazard and price-level readings name their own release beside them.

The three most populous counties in Kentucky

These are the most populous places in Kentucky, not a match to you. Set what matters to you on Find your fit and this becomes your three closest matches here. Made-up answers work too. This is a tool, not a survey.

• Jefferson County

  Population

  783K

  Rent

  $1,149

  Household income

  $69,866

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $2,136

  Set as targetPlan

• Fayette County

  Population

  324K

  Rent

  $1,164

  Household income

  $69,479

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $2,542

  Set as targetPlan

• Kenton County

  Population

  171K

  Rent

  $1,069

  Household income

  $80,548

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $2,395

  Set as targetPlan

Kentucky, worth the trip

Admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792, as the 15th state. Frontiersmen such as Daniel Boone arrived in 1769. Kentucky had drawn nearly 73,000 settlers by 1792, when it became the first state west of the Appalachian Mountains.

• Mammoth Cave National Park

  The world's longest known cave system, beneath rolling hills and deep river valleys.

• Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

  The country's first memorial to Abraham Lincoln and the site of his childhood home, in rural central Kentucky.

• Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

  The mountain pass that 300,000 settlers crossed, with 85 miles of trails and a spot where three states meet.

History: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Each place links to the page of the agency that looks after it.

Property tax in Kentucky

Current owners in Kentucky pay a median 0.75% of home value a year in property tax. Example: $1,544 a year, the median bill. By county, the median bill runs from $510 in Breathitt County to $3,519 in Oldham County. These are bills that current owners pay, as the Census measures them. Each county's own figure is in the table below.

Health in Kentucky

Life expectancy

73.3 yrs

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS vital statistics

No health insurance

6.6%

County Health Rankings, from Census SAHIE, people under 65

Poor or fair health

20.3%

County Health Rankings, from CDC BRFSS. Modeled, not counted

Injury deaths per 100K people

110

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS, counted deaths

Each is the figure County Health Rankings publishes for Kentucky as a whole, never an average of its counties. Each county's own health readings are on its page.

Natural hazards in Kentucky

Expected yearly loss, statewide

$2.4B

All natural hazards, an average year. Larger states lose more

Building loss rate

$1.90

Per $1,000 of building value, each year. Fair to compare between states

Costliest hazard

Inland flooding

$1.3B of the expected yearly loss, the largest share of any hazard FEMA assesses

Air quality

—

The EPA publishes air quality by county and metro area, never by state. It is on each county's page

FEMA publishes a risk score for counties and none for states, so none is shown here. Each county's score is on its own page.

Side by side

Jefferson County, KY is the largest county here. Set it beside another place, reading by reading.

All 120 counties in Kentucky

Each has its published readings on its own page. Press a column to sort by it. Pick one, or open the map to see them shaded side by side.

Household income, home value and population are on each county's own page, and in this table on a wider screen.

Where these numbers come from

Each reading is the published figure, not an estimate. A dash means the source did not publish one, or published one too uncertain to print.

• State figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 20245-year estimates, the state's own row (tables B25064, B19013, B25077, B25103, B01003, DP03).
• County figures: the same survey, each county's own row, as on every county page.
• Price level: Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024, all items, state-level.
• Health: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the state's own row. Poor or fair health is a modeled estimate from CDC survey data. The other three are counted or calculated.
• Natural hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, state table, expected annual loss. This product uses FEMA data but is not endorsed by FEMA.
• Air quality has no state figure: the EPA publishes it by county and metro area only.
• Photographs: Wikimedia Commons and the county photo feed, each credited to its photographer under its own licence, beneath the picture.