Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Public schools that outperform most of Kentucky.
Because it does well by almost any measure. Burlington earns an A, 15th of 138 graded towns in Kentucky. Its schools outperform 92% of the state's and the median household earns $109K. Its lowest mark, a B−, is in cost of living. Burlington has 6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Robert Chambers House and Burlington Historic District. Among 142 Kentucky towns, just 7 have a lower July high than Burlington. England-Idlewild Park, at 219 acres with 3.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Burlington beats most towns.
Census counts: 10,779 in 2000, 17,318 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1933 and 6 maps from 1914 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Burlington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Burlington. Close and well known come first.
Big draw29 mi Theme parkArk Encounter
12 mi Stadium & arenaPaycor Stadium
6 mi MuseumCreation Museum1.2M visitors a year
Big draw33 mi Theme parkKings Island3.5M visitors a year
13 mi Stadium & arenaGreat American Ball Park
13 mi Stadium & arenaNippert StadiumArk Encounter: OlinEJ, CC0 · Paycor Stadium: JonRidinger, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Creation Museum: Creashin at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Kings Island: Eli Duke from Portland, OR, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Great American Ball Park: Eric Kilby profile at Flickr website, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Nippert Stadium: Ben Levin, CC BY-SA 4.0
Burlington is unincorporated, so Boone County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Burlington.
Burlington has less tooth loss than most of Kentucky and has household incomes well above the Kentucky norm.
Its public schools are run by the Boone County school district. One of its 5 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 689 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
That puts Burlington where Kentucky’s towns sit at 1.7% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. 5.2 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves.
| Burlington | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.8% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. England-Idlewild Park | 3.9 mi | 219 |
| 2. Gunpowder Creek Nature Park | 0.3 mi | 74 |
| 3. Boone County Fairgrounds | — | 47 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Burlington home is worth about $330,000, up 3% in a year, 43% above the Kentucky typical home. At $1,489 a month, Burlington’s median rent is above both Kentucky’s towns ($930 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). 73% of households own their home in Burlington.
| Burlington | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,489 a month | $930 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 59% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Burlington for work: only 4% work in town. 5.5% of Burlington residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Burlington has added 524 jobs, to 3,003 in 2023.
| Burlington | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $109,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.5% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.3% | 15% | 8% |
| Work from home | 13% | 10% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its widest gap with Kentucky is tooth loss: 10.9% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 18.9% statewide. Against the 7,246 U.S. towns with household incomes like Burlington’s, it is less healthy than 55%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Burlington beats the Kentucky average on 16 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1. Only 9 of the 141 Kentucky towns we compare have a higher share of adults who binge drink than Burlington.
| Burlington | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 27% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 23% | 19% |
| What stands out | Burlington | KY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.9% | 18.9% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.8% | 4% |
| More binge drinkers | 17.7% | 14.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Burlington has chilly winters and warm summers. Among 142 Kentucky towns, just 7 have a lower January low than Burlington.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 67% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Burlington since 2009.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The median household earns $109,308, against $63,726 across Kentucky, one input to its A for jobs and income.
Adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (38% statewide); people 65 and older are 13% of residents (17% statewide). 32% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Kentucky.
| Burlington | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 26% | 29% |
| Median age | 37.7 years | 37.6 years | 40.5 years |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.8 points. Across Kentucky, 50.5% of residents are women.
| Burlington | KY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.6% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.5% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.8% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.4% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.8% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 16.7% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.2% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.8% | 11.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.5% | 32.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.1% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.9% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.7% | 16.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.1% | 11.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
11 within 15 miles of the center of Burlington
About 8 of every 100 Burlington residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
Where Burlington’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in Burlington on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Burlington.
Census-designated place in Boone County, Kentucky, United States
Burlington is a census-designated place (CDP) in and the county seat of Boone County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 17,318 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Burlington.
| Town | KY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington | #15 | A | B− | — | A | B+ |
| Oakbrook | #20 | A | B− | — | A | B |
| Hebron | #13 | A | B+ | — | A | B− |
Burlington, Oakbrook and Hebron report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Burlington with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Burlington grades A overall, better than 92% of U.S. towns and #15 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades B+ for health and A for schools.
That is 4.1 years of the area's median household income ($81,120 across the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
3 notable people were born here, including Arthur B. Rouse and Phil Clark.
