Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,339, settled in 1828. A regional job hub with 2,126 jobs.
West Liberty grades C overall, 81st of 138 graded towns in Kentucky, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 84% of U.S. towns. On the other side, the median household income is $48K, and 17% of residents live below the poverty line. 8.4% of residents are under 18 in West Liberty, against 22% in Kentucky’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. Of the 115 Kentucky towns we compare, none has a lower property crime rate than West Liberty. West Liberty has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Morgan County Courthouse and Judge John E. Cooper House.
Where West Liberty beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | West Liberty | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 12.5% | 5.4% |
Census counts: 142 in 1870, 3,215 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1872 and 3 maps from 1951 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far West Liberty is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Liberty, 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 West Liberty.
West Liberty draws workers from Morehead and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Kentucky (mostly inland flooding).
2,126 jobs are based in West Liberty, 3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 4 of West Liberty’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in West Liberty is 19 minutes. The top destinations are Lexington (7%), Morehead (6%) and Louisville (2%).
| West Liberty | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 15% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Morgan County school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Morgan County High School, with 527 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan County Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 361 | C− |
| Morgan County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 527 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
Against the 5,100 U.S. towns with household incomes like West Liberty’s, it is less healthy than 76%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
26% of West Liberty adults smoke cigarettes. No town among the 141 in Kentucky we compare has a higher share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than West Liberty. 32% of West Liberty adults get no exercise outside work.
| West Liberty | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 18% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 40% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 22% | 19% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | West Liberty | KY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.9% | 8.7% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 27% | 32.2% |
| More uninsured adults | 12.5% | 5.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 2.8 years of the county’s $48K median household income, the typical home (about $133K) costs less against local pay than in 79% of Kentucky towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living. The typical value, about $133K, is 11% below its June 2025 peak.
West Liberty’s median rent is $600 a month. Typical home values fell 11% in the year to September 2026. 59% of households own their home in West Liberty.
| West Liberty | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $600 a month | $937 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 59% | 59% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of Kentucky towns; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Since 2003, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in West Liberty.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 24.3°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 78% of Kentucky places with climate records; July afternoons average 87.1°.
West Liberty has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. About 12 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| West Liberty | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 87°F | 87°F | 85°F |
| January low | 24°F | 25°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| West Liberty | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Old Mill Park | — | 12 |
| 2. Kiwanis Park | — | 5 |
| 3. Treadway Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of West Liberty; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 West Liberty residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
Where West Liberty’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in West Liberty on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Kentucky, United States
West Liberty is a home rule-class city in Morgan County, Kentucky, United States. It is the county seat of Morgan County. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 3,215. It is located along the Licking River at the junction of Kentucky Route 7 and U.S. Route 460.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
West Liberty grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #81 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades D for health, A− for safety and B for schools. Jobs & income 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.
2 notable people were born here, including Baddiewinkle and Joseph M. Kendall.
