Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Versailles grades B+ overall, ranked 41st of 138 in Kentucky, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools outperform 89% of the state's and crime is low: it reports less per resident than 75% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $363K, 5 years of the Lexington metro’s $72K median household income. Its National Register listings include Big Spring Church and Airy Mount. Only 15 of Kentucky’s 204 towns score higher on civic life. Woodford County Park, at 199 acres with 2.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Versailles beats most towns.
Carter House| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Simmons Elementary School | PK–5 | 415 |
| St. Leo School | PK–8 | 151 |
| Woodford County Middle School | 6–8 | 897 |
Census counts: 172 in 1800, a low of 172 in 1800, 10,347 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1792 and 4 maps from 1906 on.
17 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Versailles is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Versailles. Close and well known come first.
12 mi Stadium & arenaKroger Field
12 mi Stadium & arenaRupp Arena
12 mi GardenLexington Cemetery
13 mi Park & preserveKentucky Horse Park
16 mi Ancient sitePleasant Hill
27 mi State parkFort Boonesborough State 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 · Kentucky Horse Park: Wes Blevins, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Pleasant Hill: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Fort Boonesborough State Park: Bubba73, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Versailles, 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 Versailles.
Versailles is healthier than towns with similar incomes, trades workers with Lexington and other neighbors and has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more.
The typical Versailles home is worth about $363,000, down 0.6% in a year, 57% above the Kentucky typical home. 60% of households own their home in Versailles, near the Kentucky town median (59%) and below the median of U.S. towns (73%).
| Versailles | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 59% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,160 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 Woodford County school district. Three of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Woodford County High School, with 1,223 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodford County Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 897 | A |
| Woodford County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,223 | A− |
| Simmons Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 415 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
| Versailles | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 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. Woodford County Park | 2.4 mi | 199 |
| 2. Big Springs Park | 0.1 mi | 20 |
| 3. Lewis Walton Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 253 to 190 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 15 reported in 2025, 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
At 0.5 per 1,000 residents, Versailles’ violent crime rate is against 1.3 in Kentucky’s towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns.
| Versailles | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.3 per 1,000 residents | 8.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Versailles has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 25° and about 15 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Versailles has about as many jobs (5,015) as working residents, but only 696 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Versailles for work: only 15% work in town. 16% of Versailles residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Versailles fell to 5,015 in 2023, 396 fewer than in 2013.
| Versailles | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 13% | 10% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 15% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Kentucky average. 37% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Versailles. Versailles has grown 3.7% since 2020, to 10,734 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Versailles | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 26% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 39 years | 37.6 years | 40.5 years |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.7 points. Across Kentucky, 50.5% of residents are women.
| Versailles | KY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.1% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.1% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.2% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.6% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.5% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.4% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.4% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.7% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.3% | 11.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.3% | 32.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.1% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.6% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.4% | 16.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.3% | 11.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 9,495 U.S. towns with household incomes like Versailles’s, it is healthier than 75%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Versailles beats the Kentucky average on 11 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Versailles | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 14% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 27% | 23% |
| What stands out | Versailles | KY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.1% | 18.9% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 8.6% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1998, 12 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Versailles.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
8 within 15 miles of the center of Versailles
About 3 of every 100 Versailles residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
8,568 counted in 2010 and 10,347 in 2020; an estimated 10,734 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
17 places in Versailles on the National Register of Historic Places.
15 notable people were born in Versailles.
City in Kentucky, United States
Versailles is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. It lies 13 miles (21 kilometers) by road west of Lexington and is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. Versailles has a population of 10,534 according to 2024 census estimates. It is the county seat of Woodford County. The city's name is pronounced vər-SAYLZ, an anglicization different from the French pronunciation of the royal city of the same name near Paris.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Versailles grades B+ overall, better than 67% of U.S. towns and #41 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades B− for health, A− for safety and A 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 C.
15 notable people were born here, including John J. Crittenden and Robert K. Massie.
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