Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,637, settled in 1831. A regional job hub with 14,205 jobs.
London grades C− overall, 122nd of 138 graded towns in Kentucky, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its public schools beat 79% of Kentucky towns on state tests and graduation and natural-hazard risk is low. On the other side, residents are less healthy than 93% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in London, above both the Kentucky town median (16%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On safety, just 10 of Kentucky’s 180 towns do worse. London has 6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Federal Building-Courthouse and Poynter Building.
Where London beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| London Elementary School | PK–5 | 592 |
| Sublimity Elementary School | PK–5 | 323 |
| North Laurel Middle School | 6–8 | 970 |
Census counts: 235 in 1860, 7,572 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1898 and 2 maps from 1952 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 London is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in London, 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 London.
London draws workers from Corbin and beyond and has seen reported crime fall by about half, but it has poverty well above the Kentucky rate.
14,205 jobs are based in London, 5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of London’s working residents works in town. The median household income in London is $48,000. The top destinations are Lexington (5%), Corbin (4%) and Somerset (2%).
| London | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 37% | 15% | 8% |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Laurel County school district. Three of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is North Laurel High School, with 1,252 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Laurel Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 970 | A |
| North Laurel High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,252 | B+ |
| Sublimity Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 323 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
18% of London adults report frequent physical distress. London beats the Kentucky average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 21% of London adults smoke cigarettes.
| London | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 22% | 19% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | London | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 8.2% | 5.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 27% | 18.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 13.1% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 430 to 147 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
London’s property crime rate is 18.1 per 1,000 residents.
| London | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 18.1 per 1,000 residents | 8.2 | 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
4.2 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Levi Jackson Wilderness Road Park, 700 acres with 1.7 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Levi Jackson Wilderness Road Park | 1.7 mi | 700 |
| 2. Whitley Branch Veterans Park | 1.3 mi | 26 |
| 3. London Wellness Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 2013, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in London.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
London has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 25° and about 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical London home is worth about $186,000, down 2.3% in a year, 20% below the Kentucky typical home. 47% of households own their home in London.
| London | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 47% | 59% | 73% |
| Median rent | $815 a month | $937 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
30.2% of residents live below the poverty line, against 16.1% across Kentucky, which weighs on its C− for jobs and income. Only 47.2% of households own their home, against 68.3% across Kentucky.
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Kentucky average. 18% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Kentucky.
| London | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 18% | 26% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 17% | 18% |
| Median age | 40 years | 37.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 23% | 22% | 22% |
55% women, 45% men
About 81 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.5 points). Across Kentucky, 50.5% of residents are women.
| London | KY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.4% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.6% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.7% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.9% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.2% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.5% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.8% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.9% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 14.2% | 11.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 37.4% | 32.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.2% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.2% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 9% | 16.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9% | 11.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
None within 15 miles of London; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 London residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Kentucky.
Where London’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in London on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in London.
City in Kentucky, United States
London is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Laurel County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 8,053. London is home to the annual World Chicken Festival that celebrates the life of Colonel Sanders and features the world's largest skillet.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
London grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #122 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades D for health, C− for safety and A− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
11 notable people were born here, including Reed Sheppard and Darrell Scott.
