Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Middletown grades D overall, ranked 123rd of 138 in Kentucky, mostly because of schools and safety. Its schools rank behind 90% of the state's. It reports more crime per resident than 83% of U.S. towns, including 3 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. What it does well: it is healthier than 85% of U.S. towns. Middletown’s property crime rate is 31.6 per 1,000 residents, above both the Kentucky town median (8.2) and the median of U.S. towns (9.9). Only 5 of Kentucky’s 238 towns score lower on cost of living. Its National Register listings include Middletown United Methodist Church and Head House.
Where Middletown beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Head House| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Middletown Elementary | PK–5 | 573 |
| Eastern High | 9–12 | 1,790 |
| Summit Academy of Greater Louisville | PK–12 | 113 |
Census counts: 244 in 1870, 9,706 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 4 maps from 1951 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Middletown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Middletown. Close and well known come first.
Big draw35 mi LandmarkUnited States Bullion Depository
13 mi Theme parkKentucky Kingdom
12 mi Stadium & arenaLynn Family Stadium
13 mi Stadium & arenaKFC Yum! Center
13 mi Stadium & arenaL&N Federal Credit Union StadiumUnited States Bullion Depository: Work permit Original author=Cliff, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kentucky Kingdom: Stevietheman at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lynn Family Stadium: Bpluke01, CC BY-SA 4.0 · KFC Yum! Center: Jamesmac96, CC BY 3.0 · L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium: Perthsider, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Middletown, 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 Middletown.
Middletown draws workers from Louisville and beyond and has less tooth loss than most of Kentucky, but it reports property crime at about twice the Kentucky rate.
8,455 jobs are based in Middletown, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Middletown for work: only 5% work in town. Middletown’s average trip to work is 19 minutes. Since 2013, Middletown has added 1,394 jobs, to 8,455 in 2023.
| Middletown | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.9% | 15% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 9.1% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $83,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Jefferson County school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Eastern High, with 1,790 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middletown ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 573 | B |
| Eastern HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,790 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Kentucky is tooth loss: 8.1% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 18.9% statewide.
13% of adults report frequent mental distress in Middletown. Middletown beats the Kentucky average on 22 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 11% of adults smoke cigarettes in Middletown.
| Middletown | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 40% | 36% |
| What stands out | Middletown | KY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.1% | 18.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.5% | 15.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Property crime runs at 31.6 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Kentucky rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 379 to 318 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Middletown is 0.3 per 1,000 residents. Middletown reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 83% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1.8 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Middletown | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Crosby Park | — | 19 |
| 2. Wetherby Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Middletown has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 25° and about 15 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 55% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The median property tax bill is $2,715, against $1,544 across Kentucky, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Only 9 of the 139 Kentucky towns we compare have a higher median rent than Middletown. 57% of Middletown households own their home.
| Middletown | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,502 a month | $930 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 57% | 59% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
10 within 15 miles of the center of Middletown
About 6 of every 100 Middletown residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Kentucky.
7,218 counted in 2010 and 9,706 in 2020; an estimated 9,944 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
11 places in Middletown on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Middletown.
City in Kentucky, United States
Middletown is an independent, home rule-class city in Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States, and a suburb of Louisville. As of the 2020 census, Middletown had a population of 9,706. The city is home to the main campus of the largest church in the state (and one of the country's largest Protestant churches), the Southeast Christian Church.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Middletown.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Douglass Hills (C) is closest.
| Town | KY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middletown | #123 | D | D | C− | D | A |
| Douglass Hills | #84 | C | C | — | D | A |
| Anchorage | #21 | A | D | A | A+ | A− |
| Jeffersontown | #71 | C+ | C+ | C | D | B+ |
Douglass Hills reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Middletown with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Middletown grades D overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #123 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades A for health, C− for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $336,000, 46% above the Kentucky typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
3 notable people were born here, including Lawrence Wetherby and Edward Y. Parsons.
