Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Shively grades D overall, ranked 130th of 138 in Kentucky, mostly because of health and schools. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 91% of the country. Its public schools trail 90% of Kentucky towns on state tests and graduation. What it does well: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 90% of U.S. towns. Shively’s rate of thefts and burglaries is 26.7 per 1,000 residents, above both Kentucky’s towns (8.2) and U.S. towns (9.9). Only 4 of Kentucky’s 180 towns score lower on safety. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 89% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top.
Where Shively beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Shively’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Shively is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,273 in 1940, 15,636 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 5 maps from 1912 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Shively. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi LandmarkUnited States Bullion Depository
4 mi Theme parkKentucky Kingdom
3 mi Stadium & arenaL&N Federal Credit Union Stadium
5 mi Stadium & arenaKFC Yum! Center
6 mi Stadium & arenaLynn Family 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 · L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium: Perthsider, CC BY-SA 3.0 · KFC Yum! Center: Jamesmac96, CC BY 3.0 · Lynn Family Stadium: Bpluke01, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shively, 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 Shively.
Shively has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Kentucky (mostly inland flooding) and reports property crime at about twice the Kentucky rate.
Among 141 Kentucky towns, just 8 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Shively. For adults locally, the share who have obesity is 43%. On the CDC’s 31 measures, Shively is ahead of Kentucky on 1 and behind on 15.
| Shively | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 38% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 40% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | Shively | KY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.2% | 8.7% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 15.1% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Jefferson County school district runs its public schools. The largest public high school is Butler Traditional High, with 1,290 students. Below: Two of its 7 schools, each with why it was picked.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schaffner Traditional ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 573 | B+ |
| Butler Traditional HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,290 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
Property crime runs at 26.7 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Kentucky rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 534 to 476 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Shively’s violent crime rate comes in at 3.3 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of Kentucky towns, with expected losses of about $823 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Shively has had 141 paid flood insurance claims since 1979. Among 141 Kentucky towns, just 8 have a higher FEMA hazard score than Shively. FEMA puts 70% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 17% to tornadoes. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Shively after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
For half of commuters, work is under 7 miles away. Among working residents in Shively, 2.9% work locally. The top destinations are Louisville (28%), Watterson Park (5%) and Jeffersontown (3%). The income of the median household locally is $50,000.
| Shively | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2.9% | 15% | 8% |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 14% | 10% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Shively has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Summer afternoons peak near 88° in July, and January nights bottom out around 25°; snowfall runs to about 13 inches a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Just 21 of its 2,916 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Shively itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
0.2 miles of trail wind through 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Shively Park, at 25 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Shively Park | 0.1 mi | 25 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 2.1 years of the Louisville/Jefferson County metro’s $74K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 96% of Kentucky towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living.
For Shively, the going rate for rent is $899 a month. In Shively, 62% of households own their home. Homes sold in Shively spent a median 47 days on the market.
| Shively | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 59% | 73% |
| Median rent | $899 a month | $937 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
10 within 15 miles of the center of Shively
About 4 of every 100 Shively residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
City in Kentucky, United States
Shively is a home rule-class city in Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States, and a suburb of Louisville within the Louisville Metro government. As of the 2020 census, Shively had a population of 15,636.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Shively grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #130 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades D for health, D for safety and D for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $155,000, 33% below 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 B+.
