Best places to live in Kentucky
By Sol Lakein, founder of Slower Sundays. Updated November 2026.
- Richmond#1 pickScore 79 of 100
- RichmondFastest growing+15.6% since 2020
- FrankfortShortest commute17.0 min average
The top 3 in Kentucky
- #1Score 79
Richmond
- Growth
- +15.6%
- Home value
- $214,900
- Commute
- 23 min
- #2Score 73
Elizabethtown
- Growth
- +12.9%
- Home value
- $245,900
- Commute
- 20 min
- #3Score 64
Bowling Green
- Growth
- +8.6%
- Home value
- $241,900
- Commute
- 18 min
The 10 best places to live in Kentucky
| # | Place | Score | Median home value | Median rent | Commute | Growth since 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richmond | 79 | $214,900 | $917 | 23.0 min | +15.6% |
| 2 | Elizabethtown | 73 | $245,900 | $909 | 20.0 min | +12.9% |
| 3 | Bowling Green | 64 | $241,900 | $998 | 17.8 min | +8.6% |
| 4 | Owensboro | 57 | $178,900 | $905 | 17.1 min | +1.1% |
| 5 | Frankfort | 53 | $183,700 | $944 | 17.0 min | +0.2% |
| 6 | Nicholasville | 49 | $226,800 | $1,147 | 24.0 min | +8.8% |
| 7 | Georgetown | 46 | $265,400 | $1,255 | 21.5 min | +8.9% |
| 8 | Covington | 45 | $187,300 | $1,006 | 21.8 min | +2.2% |
| 9 | Erlanger | 45 | $209,000 | $970 | 21.2 min | +2.6% |
| 10 | Florence | 42 | $210,700 | $1,329 | 23.3 min | +6.4% |
Every Kentucky city and town we ranked
See all 13, with scores
| # | Place | Score | Median home value | Median rent | Commute | Growth since 2020 | Population 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richmond | 79 | $214,900 | $917 | 23.0 min | +15.6% | 40,663 |
| 2 | Elizabethtown | 73 | $245,900 | $909 | 20.0 min | +12.9% | 35,448 |
| 3 | Bowling Green | 64 | $241,900 | $998 | 17.8 min | +8.6% | 78,505 |
| 4 | Owensboro | 57 | $178,900 | $905 | 17.1 min | +1.1% | 60,892 |
| 5 | Frankfort | 53 | $183,700 | $944 | 17.0 min | +0.2% | 28,657 |
| 6 | Nicholasville | 49 | $226,800 | $1,147 | 24.0 min | +8.8% | 33,857 |
| 7 | Georgetown | 46 | $265,400 | $1,255 | 21.5 min | +8.9% | 40,883 |
| 8 | Covington | 45 | $187,300 | $1,006 | 21.8 min | +2.2% | 41,847 |
| 9 | Erlanger | 45 | $209,000 | $970 | 21.2 min | +2.6% | 20,158 |
| 10 | Florence | 42 | $210,700 | $1,329 | 23.3 min | +6.4% | 34,018 |
| 11 | Louisville | 31 | $233,900 | $1,120 | 22.5 min | +1.6% | 641,962 |
| 12 | Lexington | 25 | $293,500 | $1,164 | 20.9 min | +2.2% | 329,751 |
| 13 | Independence | 22 | $263,700 | $1,250 | 27.2 min | +5.2% | 30,198 |
How we ranked them
Who makes the list: places that grew from 2020 to 2025 and whose median home value is at least 75% of the state's typical place ($158,025 in Kentucky). Of 19 places, 6 lost population and 0 sit below that line, so they are left off this list. They are all on the cheapest places in Kentucky page. Population growth counts births as well as moves.
| Weight | Measure |
|---|---|
| 45% | Population growth, 2020 to 2025 |
| 25% | Shorter commutes (mean travel time to work) |
| 20% | Lower home values (median value of owner-occupied homes) |
| 10% | Lower rent (median gross rent) |
Places are incorporated cities and towns with at least 20,000 residents in July 2025. Unincorporated communities are left out because the Census population estimates do not cover them. Census reports home values of $2 million or more as $2,000,000+ and rents of $3,500 or more as $3,500+. A place with no figure on a measure gets half points on it. Home values are what owners estimate their homes are worth, averaged over 2020 to 2024, so they run below today's listing prices.
Statewide, Kentucky has a top income tax rate of 3.50%, an effective property tax rate of 0.72% and a combined sales tax of 6.00%, and it does not tax Social Security. See property taxes by state and states with no income tax.
Weigh things differently? The quiz ranks cities on your own priorities.
Questions people ask
What is the best place to live in Kentucky?
On our ranking of the 13 growing Kentucky cities and towns with 20,000 or more people, Richmond, followed by Elizabethtown and Bowling Green. Richmond has a median home value of $214,900, median rent of $917, an average commute of 23.0 min and grew +15.6% from 2020 to 2025 (US Census Bureau).
What is the fastest-growing city in Kentucky?
Of the places we rank, Richmond, up +15.6% from the 2020 base to July 2025 (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2025).
Where in Kentucky are commutes shortest?
Frankfort, where the average trip to work takes 17.0 min (American Community Survey 2020-2024).
Do you rank places by who lives there?
No. The ranking uses population growth, commute times, home values and rent only. Nothing about who lives in a place goes in.
Why isn't the cheapest town in Kentucky on this list?
This list ranks the places people are moving to. Places that lost population from 2020 to 2025, or whose median home value is below 75% of the state's typical place, are left off. Every place is on our cheapest places to live in Kentucky page.
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Sources for this page
- Population, 2020 and July 2025: US Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 city and town estimates (May 2026)
- Median home value: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, B25077
- Median gross rent: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, B25064
- Mean travel time to work: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, S0801