Ranked from official statistics; every city opens its own guide.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Among the 80 largest places in Kentucky, Union has the largest share of adults with a bachelor's degree (58.9%), followed by St. Matthews and Francisville. Click any column to sort; click a city for its guide.
Across the 80 places in Kentucky that we cover, the median is 26.9% and the average 30.3%; the figure runs from 58.9% (Union) to 11.0% (Oak Grove). That is a spread of 5.3 times between the two ends. The state figure is 27.6%; 38 of the 80 places are above it and 42 at or below.
The first five are Union, St. Matthews, Francisville, Fort Thomas, Edgewood. A high or low position is not good or bad on its own: read it together with the other measures on the city pages. Use the Compare tab on each city page to see how two places differ across income, rent, commute and education, and check the county page for the local job market.
| # ⇅ | City ⇅ | County ⇅ | Bachelor's degree or higher ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Union | Boone County | 58.9% | 7,642 | $136,712 | $1,657 |
| 2 | St. Matthews | Jefferson County | 58.7% | 17,577 | $82,412 | $1,369 |
| 3 | Francisville (unincorporated) | Boone County | 56.4% | 10,565 | $159,371 | $1,420 |
| 4 | Fort Thomas | Campbell County | 55.3% | 17,169 | $104,350 | $1,126 |
| 5 | Edgewood | Kenton County | 54.9% | 8,447 | $119,028 | $1,073 |
| 6 | Middletown | Jefferson County | 53.2% | 9,763 | $82,537 | $1,502 |
| 7 | Villa Hills | Kenton County | 51.4% | 7,480 | $107,859 | $1,412 |
| 8 | Wilmore | Jessamine County | 49.6% | 6,057 | $77,665 | $975 |
| 9 | Fort Knox (unincorporated) | Hardin County | 48.3% | 8,836 | $82,663 | $1,502 |
| 10 | Lexington | Fayette County | 48.3% | 323,725 | $69,479 | $1,164 |
| 11 | Fort Mitchell | Kenton County | 47.5% | 8,713 | $86,310 | $1,039 |
| 12 | Crestwood | Oldham County | 47.1% | 6,356 | $108,046 | $1,188 |
| 13 | Fort Wright | Kenton County | 45.3% | 5,887 | $105,024 | $1,142 |
| 14 | Lyndon | Jefferson County | 43.8% | 11,030 | $65,679 | $1,246 |
| 15 | Cold Spring | Campbell County | 42.6% | 6,341 | $75,000 | $1,191 |
| 16 | Highland Heights | Campbell County | 40.7% | 6,444 | $53,275 | $1,144 |
| 17 | Pikeville | Pike County | 40.4% | 7,490 | $39,955 | $862 |
| 18 | Jeffersontown | Jefferson County | 39.8% | 29,199 | $81,506 | $1,320 |
| 19 | La Grange | Oldham County | 38.4% | 10,311 | $88,464 | $1,143 |
| 20 | Taylor Mill | Kenton County | 38.3% | 6,937 | $88,546 | $1,139 |
| 21 | Versailles | Woodford County | 36.7% | 10,492 | $62,368 | $1,160 |
| 22 | Independence | Kenton County | 36.4% | 29,392 | $102,361 | $1,250 |
| 23 | Newport | Campbell County | 36.3% | 13,967 | $60,853 | $1,087 |
| 24 | Murray | Calloway County | 36.1% | 18,080 | $44,091 | $870 |
| 25 | Oakbrook (unincorporated) | Boone County | 35.6% | 10,211 | $94,652 | $1,665 |
| 26 | Alexandria | Campbell County | 35.3% | 10,562 | $102,239 | $1,195 |
| 27 | Richmond | Madison County | 34.9% | 37,111 | $50,870 | $917 |
| 28 | Georgetown | Scott County | 34.1% | 39,117 | $80,088 | $1,255 |
| 29 | Louisville | Jefferson County | 33.8% | 631,818 | $66,849 | $1,120 |
| 30 | Covington | Kenton County | 32.2% | 41,110 | $61,166 | $1,006 |
| 31 | Erlanger | Kenton County | 32.0% | 19,875 | $75,840 | $970 |
| 32 | Burlington (unincorporated) | Boone County | 31.8% | 18,008 | $109,308 | $1,489 |
| 33 | Bowling Green | Warren County | 31.2% | 75,388 | $48,873 | $998 |
| 34 | Hebron (unincorporated) | Boone County | 30.0% | 6,407 | $106,719 | $1,491 |
| 35 | Morehead | Rowan County | 29.9% | 6,870 | $36,741 | $800 |
| 36 | Paducah | McCracken County | 28.8% | 26,845 | $49,915 | $834 |
| 37 | Frankfort | Franklin County | 28.4% | 28,503 | $53,073 | $944 |
| 38 | Elizabethtown | Hardin County | 28.2% | 32,576 | $60,760 | $909 |
| 39 | Berea | Madison County | 27.2% | 15,786 | $59,495 | $835 |
| 40 | Nicholasville | Jessamine County | 26.9% | 32,197 | $68,503 | $1,147 |
| 41 | Shelbyville | Shelby County | 26.7% | 17,668 | $75,610 | $1,033 |
| 42 | Bardstown | Nelson County | 26.7% | 13,804 | $51,381 | $977 |
| 43 | Danville | Boyle County | 26.5% | 17,327 | $52,646 | $762 |
| 44 | Florence | Boone County | 26.4% | 32,803 | $71,003 | $1,329 |
| 45 | Vine Grove | Hardin County | 26.2% | 6,830 | $72,560 | $1,334 |
| 46 | Mount Washington | Bullitt County | 26.1% | 18,480 | $96,239 | $1,008 |
| 47 | Owensboro | Daviess County | 26.1% | 60,302 | $56,357 | $905 |
| 48 | Corbin | Whitley County | 25.5% | 8,246 | $51,065 | $733 |
| 49 | Paris | Bourbon County | 25.0% | 10,160 | $55,839 | $832 |
| 50 | Ashland | Boyd County | 24.8% | 21,295 | $52,715 | $872 |
| 51 | Campbellsville | Taylor County | 24.6% | 11,622 | $49,644 | $685 |
| 52 | Elsmere | Kenton County | 24.3% | 9,205 | $60,503 | $1,351 |
| 53 | Madisonville | Hopkins County | 23.6% | 19,515 | $53,860 | $838 |
| 54 | Mount Sterling | Montgomery County | 23.6% | 7,551 | $55,827 | $699 |
| 55 | Hopkinsville | Christian County | 23.3% | 30,906 | $49,139 | $902 |
| 56 | Dayton | Campbell County | 22.9% | 5,743 | $65,992 | $1,137 |
| 57 | Winchester | Clark County | 22.4% | 19,213 | $54,378 | $916 |
| 58 | Glasgow | Barren County | 22.4% | 15,197 | $43,074 | $849 |
| 59 | Lawrenceburg | Anderson County | 21.8% | 11,943 | $66,486 | $954 |
| 60 | Harrodsburg | Mercer County | 21.0% | 9,313 | $48,381 | $790 |
| 61 | Somerset | Pulaski County | 19.9% | 12,216 | $34,704 | $775 |
| 62 | Maysville | Mason County | 19.9% | 8,737 | $39,013 | $699 |
| 63 | Henderson | Henderson County | 19.4% | 27,852 | $48,186 | $771 |
| 64 | Mayfield | Graves County | 19.3% | 9,868 | $40,965 | $644 |
| 65 | Middlesborough | Bell County | 18.9% | 9,123 | $31,106 | $598 |
| 66 | Hillview | Bullitt County | 18.6% | 8,797 | $68,111 | $1,316 |
| 67 | Radcliff | Hardin County | 18.3% | 22,864 | $58,559 | $971 |
| 68 | London | Laurel County | 18.0% | 7,561 | $47,591 | $815 |
| 69 | Fort Campbell North (unincorporated) | Christian County | 16.9% | 11,356 | $58,933 | $1,529 |
| 70 | Shepherdsville | Bullitt County | 16.8% | 14,533 | $71,476 | $943 |
| 71 | Princeton | Caldwell County | 16.7% | 6,241 | $47,411 | $762 |
| 72 | Flatwoods | Greenup County | 15.8% | 7,269 | $59,972 | $940 |
| 73 | Franklin | Simpson County | 15.5% | 10,360 | $59,052 | $1,010 |
| 74 | Cynthiana | Harrison County | 15.4% | 6,458 | $54,647 | $770 |
| 75 | Russellville | Logan County | 14.2% | 7,316 | $45,484 | $738 |
| 76 | Shively | Jefferson County | 13.9% | 15,638 | $50,221 | $899 |
| 77 | Monticello | Wayne County | 13.3% | 5,753 | $44,952 | $779 |
| 78 | Leitchfield | Grayson County | 12.4% | 6,819 | $44,347 | $621 |
| 79 | Lebanon | Marion County | 11.7% | 6,430 | $45,479 | $701 |
| 80 | Oak Grove | Christian County | 11.0% | 7,962 | $49,354 | $1,197 |
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Unincorporated places are census-designated places: they have no city government but are counted as communities. Figures describe the city itself.
Union, with 58.9% (among the 80 largest places; ACS 2020–2024).
The 80 largest places in Kentucky by population.