Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Berea gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $250K, 4.1 years of the Richmond area’s $60K median household income. It grades B overall, ranked 50th of 138 in Kentucky. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns. Berea is home to Berea College. 24% of working residents work locally in Berea, above both Kentucky’s towns (15%) and U.S. towns (8%). The biggest park or preserve is Berea City Park, at 45 acres.
Where Berea beats most towns.
Lincoln Hall| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Berea College | 1,487 |
Lincoln Hall is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 580 in 1880, 15,539 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1866 and 3 maps from 1952 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Berea is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Berea, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Berea.
Berea is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
Against the 8,775 U.S. towns with household incomes like Berea’s, it is less healthy than 53%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. Within Kentucky it is healthier than 53% of the 141 graded towns: much of Kentucky scores lower on these measures.
Berea beats the Kentucky average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 44% of Berea adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Berea | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 40% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 14% |
| What stands out | Berea | KY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.6% | 8.7% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 7.2% | 8.2% |
| More uninsured adults | 7.5% | 5.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Madison County school district. Three of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Creek Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 490 | C |
| Madison Southern High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,224 | B |
| Farristown Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 463 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 171 to 110 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Berea’s property crime rate is 5.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Berea | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.3 per 1,000 residents | 8.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Adults 18 to 34 are 31% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 13% of residents (17% statewide). The median age in Berea is 33.2 years. Berea has grown 7.3% since 2020, to 16,662 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Berea | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 33.2 years | 37.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 17% | 18% |
53% women, 47% men
About 89 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.4 points). Across Kentucky, 50.5% of residents are women. Median age: women 32.2, men 34.0.
| Berea | KY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.9% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 16.7% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.9% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.4% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.2% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.2% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.9% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 14.5% | 11.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.5% | 32.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.9% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.8% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.3% | 16.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13% | 11.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Berea has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 25° and about 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Berea | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Berea City Park | 0.3 mi | 45 |
| 2. Alumni Field | 0.1 mi | 37 |
| 3. Berea Memorial Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 66% of U.S. communities. Since 2010, 26 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Berea.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
About one in 4 of Berea’s working residents works in town. 18% of residents live below the poverty line in Berea. Since 2013, Berea has lost 772 jobs, to 8,111 in 2023.
| Berea | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Berea home is worth about $250,000, up 0.6% in a year, 8% above the Kentucky typical home.
| Berea | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $835 a month | $937 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 59% | 59% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of Berea
College town 15 of every 100 Berea residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
8 places in Berea on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Berea.
City in Kentucky, United States
Berea ( bə-REE-ə) is a home rule-class city in Madison County, Kentucky, in the United States. The city is best known for its art festivals, historic restaurants and buildings, and as the home to Berea College, a private liberal arts college. The population was 15,539 at the 2020 census. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in Kentucky, having increased by 27.4% since 2000. Berea is a principal city of the Richmond−Berea Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Madison and Rockcastle counties. It was formally incorporated by the state assembly in 1890.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Berea grades B overall, better than 58% of U.S. towns and #50 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades C for health, B+ for safety and B for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
9 notable people were born here, including Tony Snow and William Evans.
