Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town of 1,035 people was settled in 1890.
South Shore’s best subject grades are an A+ for safety and an A for cost of living and the outdoors; its weakest is a D for incomes. On safety, just 3 of Kentucky’s 180 towns do better. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 93% of the country. On cost of living, just 13 of Kentucky’s 238 towns do better. On the outdoors, just 6 of Kentucky’s 238 towns do better. South Shore's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 92% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Stan Spence Sports Park, at 32 acres. South Shore has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where South Shore beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | South Shore | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7.4% | 5.4% |
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far South Shore is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 658 in 1960, a peak of 1,750 in 1970, 1,066 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1846 and 2 maps from 1926 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in South Shore, 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 South Shore.
Among 116 Kentucky towns, just 6 have a lower rate of reported violence than South Shore. The town reports less crime per resident than 99% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade. Police in South Shore reported no property crime.
| South Shore | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 8.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The share of adults in South Shore who have high blood pressure is 42%, where Kentucky’s towns sit at 38% and U.S. towns at 35%. For adults locally, the share who have diabetes is 15%.
| South Shore | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 39% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 23% | 19% |
| What stands out | South Shore | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7.4% | 5.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 24.4% | 18.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.6% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Three fifths of South Shore households live in a home they own. South Shore’s midpoint rent stands at $624 a month. In the year to September 2026, typical home values slipped 1.4%.
| South Shore | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $624 a month | $934 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 60% | 59% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected losses in South Shore break down as 73% from inland flooding and 13% from heat waves. On expected storm and flood damage, South Shore sits above four fifths of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to South Shore households in 6 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The top destinations are Portsmouth (18%), Ashland (5%) and Valley Township (3%). For South Shore, the average commute is 17 minutes. Jobs in the town fell by 64 from 2013 to 2023, to 156. 23% of residents live below the poverty line in the town.
| South Shore | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $29,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.9% | 15% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In July, afternoons reach 87°; in January, nights fall to 24°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In 3 parks and preserves, walkers have 0.4 miles of trail. Parks and preserves in South Shore: 3, covering 51 acres.
| South Shore | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 4.5% | 1.7% | 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. Stan Spence Sports Park | — | 32 |
| 2. Rotary Park | 0.2 mi | 14 |
| 3. Legion Park | 0.2 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of South Shore
About 11 of every 100 South Shore residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
Where South Shore’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Kentucky, United States
South Shore is a home rule-class city in Greenup County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 census, South Shore had a population of 1,066. It is located along the Ohio River across from Portsmouth, Ohio, at the mouth of Tygarts Creek. South Shore is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The South Portsmouth–South Shore station serves Amtrak's Cardinal Trains 50 & 51.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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 A.