Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Somerset grades C overall, 99th among Kentucky's 138 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools rank ahead of 92% of Kentucky towns. On the other side, residents are less healthy than 93% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. 47% of working residents work locally in Somerset, where Kentucky’s towns sit at 15% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include Somerset Downtown Commercial District and Crawford House. The median household income is $35K, and 27% of residents live below the poverty line.
Where Somerset beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A. Jackson Crawford Building
Census counts: 231 in 1830, 11,924 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 6 maps from 1935 on.
23 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Somerset is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Somerset, 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 Somerset.
Somerset draws workers from Lexington and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
17,433 jobs are based in Somerset, 3.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Among 142 Kentucky towns, just 6 have a lower median household income than Somerset. The top destinations are Lexington (2%), London (2%) and Louisville (2%). Half commute less than 5 miles.
| Somerset | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $35,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8.7% | 10% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Pulaski County school district. Three of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 871 | A− |
| Pulaski County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,113 | A− |
| Pulaski Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 535 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
Against the 1,198 U.S. towns with household incomes like Somerset’s, it is healthier than 51%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
19% of adults report frequent physical distress in Somerset. Somerset beats the Kentucky average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 22% of adults smoke cigarettes in Somerset.
| Somerset | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 22% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Somerset | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 9.5% | 5.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 28.7% | 18.9% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 5.5% | 4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 313 to 182 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Somerset is 3.3 per 1,000 residents. Somerset reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 66% report less.
| Somerset | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.3 per 1,000 residents | 8.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Somerset has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 26° and about 11 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Somerset home is worth about $198,000, down 0.7% in a year, 14% below the Kentucky typical home. 49% of Somerset households own their home.
| Somerset | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 49% | 59% | 73% |
| Median rent | $775 a month | $937 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The median household earns $34,704, against $63,726 across Kentucky, one input to its D for jobs and income.
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Kentucky average. Somerset has grown 6.1% since 2020, to 12,695 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 20% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Kentucky.
| Somerset | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 20% | 26% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 17% | 18% |
| Median age | 39.8 years | 37.6 years | 40.5 years |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.7 points. Across Kentucky, 50.5% of residents are women.
| Somerset | KY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.3% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.5% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.9% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.8% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.7% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.1% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.3% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 15.5% | 11.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.5% | 32.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.1% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 10.3% | 16.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.6% | 11.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Somerset.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2.8 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Rocky Hollow Park, 33 acres with 1 miles of trail.
| Somerset | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.6% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rocky Hollow Park | 1 mi | 33 |
| 2. Somersport Park | 0.3 mi | 27 |
| 3. Trinity Park | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Somerset
About 4 of every 100 Somerset residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
23 places in Somerset on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in Somerset.
City in Kentucky, United States
Somerset is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Pulaski County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,924. Somerset's micropolitan area population is 67,384; it comprises the entirety of Pulaski County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Somerset.
| Town | KY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset | #99 | C | B− | C | A | D |
| Ferguson | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Burnside | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Science Hill | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Ferguson, Burnside and Science Hill aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Somerset with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Somerset grades C overall, better than 27% of U.S. towns and #99 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 B−.
13 notable people were born here, including Tommy Lee Wallace and John Sherman Cooper.
