Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,391, platted in 1846.
Ludlow gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $208K for a typical one, or 2.6 years of the Cincinnati metro’s $81K median household income. It grades B overall, 48th of 138 graded towns in Kentucky. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 68% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 8 places on the National Register. 24% of residents live below the poverty line in Ludlow, against 16% in Kentucky’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. On history, just 1 of Kentucky’s 238 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is Devou Park, at 23 acres.
Where Ludlow beats most towns.
Census counts: 2,469 in 1890, a peak of 6,485 in 1930, 4,385 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1914 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 Ludlow is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ludlow. Close and well known come first.
2 mi Stadium & arenaPaycor Stadium
2 mi Stadium & arenaGreat American Ball Park
Big draw23 mi Theme parkKings Island3.5M visitors a year
2 mi Stadium & arenaTQL Stadium
3 mi Stadium & arenaNippert Stadium
Big draw32 mi Theme parkArk EncounterPaycor Stadium: JonRidinger, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Great American Ball Park: Eric Kilby profile at Flickr website, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Kings Island: Eli Duke from Portland, OR, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · TQL Stadium: Cornfield948, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Nippert Stadium: Ben Levin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ark Encounter: OlinEJ, CC0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ludlow, 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 Ludlow.
Ludlow sends many workers across the state line, has homes that are cheap against local pay and looks healthier within Kentucky than nationally.
1.2 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. Ludlow’s trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile.
| Ludlow | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.5% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Devou Park | 0.2 mi | 23 |
| 2. Albert S. Ludlow Memorial Park | 0.1 mi | 11 |
| 3. Caple Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Ludlow Independent school district. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Ludlow High School, with 376 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary A. Goetz Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 455 | C+ |
| Ludlow High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 376 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
39% of working residents cross a state line to work. Jobs based here grew from 574 in 2013 to 1,521.
Most working residents leave Ludlow for work: only 4% work in town. Jobs based in Ludlow grew to 1,521 in 2023, 947 more than in 2013. The average trip to work in Ludlow is 21 minutes.
| Ludlow | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 4.2% | 15% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 13% | 10% | 11% |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Since 1978, 49 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ludlow.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Ludlow has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 23° and about 23 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Within Kentucky it is healthier than 59% of the 141 graded towns: much of Kentucky scores lower on these measures.
Ludlow beats the Kentucky average on 6 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 20% of adults smoke cigarettes in Ludlow.
| Ludlow | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 79% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 40% | 36% |
| What stands out | Ludlow | KY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15% | 18.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.5% | 15.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 2.6 years of the Cincinnati metro’s $81K median household income, the typical home (about $208K) costs less against local pay than in 89% of Kentucky towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living.
76% of Ludlow households own their home. The typical Ludlow home is worth about $208,000, about the same as a year ago, 10% below the Kentucky typical home.
| Ludlow | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 76% | 59% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,233 a month | $930 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
16 within 15 miles of the center of Ludlow
About 8 of every 100 Ludlow residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
3.5% of the town is conserved land, across 3 parks and preserves.
8 places in Ludlow on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Ludlow.
City in Kentucky, United States
Ludlow is a home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 4,385 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb of the Cincinnati metropolitan area. It received its greatest period of early growth as a rail station.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Ludlow.
Bromley isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Ludlow with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Ludlow grades B overall, better than 60% of U.S. towns and #48 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades C+ for health, B for safety and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Not for the 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 Henry Peach Robinson and Bob Braun.
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