Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lexington is a city of 329,751, and it grades C overall, ranked 94th of 138 in Kentucky. It is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns. The trade-off: its crime rate is higher than 77% of U.S. towns, with 749 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. 67% of working residents work locally in Lexington, against 15% in Kentucky’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Ashland and Keeneland-Keeneland Racetrack. Only 18 of Kentucky’s 238 towns score lower on cost of living.
Where Lexington beats most towns.
Ashland| College | Students |
|---|---|
| University of Kentucky | 28,008 |
| Bluegrass Community and Technical College | 7,363 |
| Transylvania University | 1,022 |
Ashland is one of 3 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its 174 National Register listings are more than in any other Kentucky town with a listing.
The archive holds 5 maps from 1952 on.
Explore the history →Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Lexington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lexington. Close and well known come first.
in town Stadium & arenaKroger Field
in town Stadium & arenaRupp Arena
in town GardenLexington Cemetery
in town Park & preserveKentucky Horse Park
14 mi State parkFort Boonesborough State Park
22 mi Ancient sitePleasant HillKroger Field: Navin75, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Rupp Arena: The original uploader was Analogue Kid at English Wikipedia., CC BY 2.5 · Lexington Cemetery: Analogue Kid at en.wikipedia, CC BY 2.5 · Kentucky Horse Park: Wes Blevins, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Fort Boonesborough State Park: Bubba73, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pleasant Hill: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lexington, 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 Lexington.
Lexington is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more and has milder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Kentucky.
The median property tax bill is $2,542, against $1,544 across Kentucky, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Lexington home is worth about $331,000, up 3.4% in a year, 43% above the Kentucky typical home. 54% of households own their home in Lexington.
| Lexington | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 59% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 50% | 44% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,164 a month | $930 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Fayette County school district. Three of its 107 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edythe Jones Hayes Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,125 | A |
| Lafayette High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,370 | A |
| Rosa Parks Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 681 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 9,615 to 7,581 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Lexington’s property crime rate is 20.6 per 1,000 residents. Lexington reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 77% report less. Lexington’s violent crime rate is 2.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Lexington | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 20.6 per 1,000 residents | 8.2 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
January nights average 24.4°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 77% of Kentucky places with climate records; July afternoons average 86°.
Lexington has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. About 15 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Lexington | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 86°F | 87°F | 85°F |
| January low | 24°F | 25°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
83 miles of trail in 98 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Kentucky Horse Park, 1,195 acres with 2.4 miles of trail. Among 121 Kentucky towns, just 4 have a higher share of conserved land than Lexington.
| Lexington | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 13% | 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. Raven Run Nature Sanctuary | 10.2 mi | 729 |
| 2. Hisle Farm Park | 4.8 mi | 277 |
| 3. University of Kentucky Arboretum | 3.2 mi | 107 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 10,482 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lexington’s, it is healthier than 80%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Lexington beats the Kentucky average on 13 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 22% of Lexington adults get no exercise outside work.
| Lexington | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 27% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 39% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 27% | 23% |
| What stands out | Lexington | KY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with COPD | 7.3% | 10.2% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 6.2% | 8.2% |
| More uninsured adults | 6.6% | 5.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 2013, Lexington has added 21,643 jobs, to 194,984 in 2023. The average trip to work in Lexington is 21 minutes. The top destinations are Georgetown (3%), Louisville (2%) and Nicholasville (2%).
| Lexington | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 12% | 10% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 355 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lexington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
5 within 15 miles of the center of Lexington
About 11 of every 100 Lexington residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
3 colleges in town.
174 places in Lexington on the National Register of Historic Places.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lexington grades C overall, better than 29% of U.S. towns and #94 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades B for health, C− for safety and B− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.6 years of the area's median household income ($71,966 across the Lexington-Fayette, KY 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 C.
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