Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Nicholasville is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C+ overall, 63rd among Kentucky's 138 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools rank ahead of 66% of Kentucky towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in health: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 74% of the country. A typical home there costs about $327K, 4.5 years of the Lexington metro’s $72K median household income. Its National Register listings include McClure-Shelby House and Brick House on Shun Pike. 20% of working residents work locally in Nicholasville, above both Kentucky’s towns (15%) and U.S. towns (8%). The biggest park or preserve is Riney B Park, at 110 acres.
Where Nicholasville beats most towns.
Census counts: 158 in 1810, 31,093 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1796 and 4 maps from 1952 on.
31 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Nicholasville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Nicholasville. Close and well known come first.
10 mi Stadium & arenaKroger Field
11 mi Stadium & arenaRupp Arena
12 mi GardenLexington Cemetery
11 mi Ancient sitePleasant Hill
16 mi State parkFort Boonesborough State Park
18 mi Park & preserveKentucky Horse ParkKroger 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 · Pleasant Hill: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Fort Boonesborough State Park: Bubba73, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kentucky Horse Park: Wes Blevins, CC BY-SA 2.5
Who provides power, water and the rest in Nicholasville, 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 Nicholasville.
Nicholasville trades workers with Lexington and other neighbors, looks healthier within Kentucky than nationally and is safe by national standards but not by Kentucky’s.
The typical Nicholasville home is worth about $327,000, up 2.5% in a year, 42% above the Kentucky typical home. 58% of households own their home in Nicholasville.
| Nicholasville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 59% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,147 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 Jessamine County school district. Three of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Jessamine Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 944 | B− |
| West Jessamine High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,272 | A− |
| West Jessamine Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 887 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
Within Kentucky it is less healthy than 54% of the 141 graded towns: much of Kentucky scores lower on these measures.
29% of Nicholasville adults have been diagnosed with depression. Nicholasville beats the Kentucky average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 19% of Nicholasville adults smoke cigarettes.
| Nicholasville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 39% | 35% |
| What stands out | Nicholasville | KY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 7.3% | 8.2% |
| More uninsured adults | 7.1% | 5.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Nicholasville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Nicholasville has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 25° and about 10 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Nicholasville has about as many jobs (12,563) as working residents, but only 2,863 people both live and work here.
About one in 5 of Nicholasville’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Nicholasville grew to 12,563 in 2023, 2,013 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Lexington (42%), Louisville (2%) and Wilmore (2%).
| Nicholasville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 8.8% | 10% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
3.9 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Nicholasville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Mingo/Corman Park | 0.8 mi | 18 |
| 2. Riney B Park | — | 110 |
| 3. Woodrow Grow Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 21.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 70% of Kentucky’s graded towns.
The property crime rate in Nicholasville is 14.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Nicholasville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.9 per 1,000 residents | 8.2 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Kentucky average. Nicholasville has grown 8.8% since 2020, to 33,857 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Kentucky.
| Nicholasville | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 25% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 17% | 18% |
| Median age | 37.7 years | 37.6 years | 40.5 years |
53% women, 47% men
About 89 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.4 points). Across Kentucky, 50.5% of residents are women. Median age: women 37.8, men 37.6.
| Nicholasville | KY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.2% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.9% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.5% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.9% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.3% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.7% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.9% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.2% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.2% | 11.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.1% | 32.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.1% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.7% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.9% | 16.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.1% | 11.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
5 within 15 miles of the center of Nicholasville
About 3 of every 100 Nicholasville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
28,015 counted in 2010 and 31,093 in 2020; an estimated 33,857 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 8.8% since 2020, after 11% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
31 places in Nicholasville on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in Nicholasville.
City in Kentucky, United States
Nicholasville is a city in and the county seat of Jessamine County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,490 at the 2020 census, making Nicholasville the tenth-most populous city in Kentucky. Nicholasville is a home rule-class city under Kentucky law. Since the late 20th century, Nicholasville has undergone rapid growth; the population increased 440.23% between 1970 and 2020. Part of the Lexington–Fayette metropolitan area, the city serves as both a commuter town to Lexington and as an employment and shopping center in central Kentucky.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Nicholasville grades C+ overall, better than 43% of U.S. towns and #63 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades C for health, C+ for safety and B+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
14 notable people were born here, including Jeff Easley and John C. Watts.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
