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Place dossier plate
SheetKY-BEREA-KY · Berea, KY 15,557 pop · income 30th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Berea
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Berea on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Glasgow · lowest
42,417
Glasgow · lowest
42,417 median HH income
35.6% of the leader · rank #1
Berea · this city
56,484
Berea · this city
56,484 median HH income
47.4% of the leader · rank #2
Manassa · near
56,484
Manassa · near
56,484 median HH income
47.4% of the leader · rank #3
Montrose · near
56,484
Montrose · near
56,484 median HH income
47.4% of the leader · rank #4
Baconton · near
56,488
Baconton · near
56,488 median HH income
47.4% of the leader · rank #5
Montgomery · near
56,490
Montgomery · near
56,490 median HH income
47.4% of the leader · rank #6
Tanque Verde · highest
119,212
Tanque Verde · highest
119,212 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Berea on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 15,557.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Berea - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Berea places in the 30th percentile for household income and the 67th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
30th
percentile, household income
36th
percentile, home value
10th
percentile, median rent
67th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Berea, KY
15,557 people live in Berea, Kentucky - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Berea brings in $56,484 a year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 17.1%. Typical homes in Berea are valued around $178,000, and the median resident age is 34.1 years. 27.0% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 55.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 142 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 82% from five years earlier. Berea reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 935.9 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Kentucky run below the national norm: the state registers 90.2 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Well Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $984 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $225 across Kentucky, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. The average commute for Berea workers runs 22.0 minutes, with 68.6% driving alone and 10.3% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 44.2 out of 100 (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Berea's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from reported crime to comparison shortlist to work and mobility to population change to housing and income to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Berea, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, annual population history, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Berea?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 935.9 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 59% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Which cities make useful reference points for Berea?
Within Kentucky, the closest population matches are Shively (15,556 residents, $46,522 income); Glasgow (15,141 residents, $42,417 income); Shepherdsville (14,351 residents, $71,250 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are West Lealman, FL (15,560 residents); Williamsburg, VA (15,564 residents); Mount Clemens, MI (15,567 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 68.6%. The reported mean trip to work is 22.0 minutes.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +1,070 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +6.9% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 142 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Berea?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.2 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 17.1%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
Household income
$56,484
Home value
$178,000
Value / income
3.2×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
The NCES join finds 9 public schools within the city match. 27.0% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
9
Bachelor's degree+
27.0%
Poverty estimate
17.1%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Below median income · poverty 17.1% (High poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
90.2 (US=100)
Affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Kentucky average
C-
City profile score · Berea, KY
51/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living A
90.2 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Violent crime B
87 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share C-
27.0%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$56,484
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
17.1%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Berea profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 85/100 (A) · 90.2 index
Violent crime: 74/100 (B) · 87 /100k
Bachelor's+ share: 53/100 (C-) · 27.0%
Household income: 29/100 (F) · $56,484
Poverty rate: 19/100 (F) · 17.1%
Where Berea sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Berea's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Berea highlighted among 10 peers.Read the chart values
Berea, KY (this city): home $178,000, crime 936/100k
Williamsburg, VA : home $393,200, crime 1,404/100k
Frankfort, IN : home $122,800, crime 1,171/100k
Jackson, MO : home $227,600, crime 1,117/100k
Shively, KY : home $139,200, crime 3,586/100k
Glasgow, KY : home $147,700, crime 2,277/100k
Shepherdsville, KY : home $202,300, crime 1,927/100k
Newport, KY : home $221,100, crime 4,167/100k
Danville, KY : home $202,200, crime 1,155/100k
Fort Thomas, KY : home $301,400, crime 535/100k
How does Berea compare to other US cities?
Where Berea sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income30% higher than other cities
Home value36% pricier than other cities
Median rent10% pricier than other cities
Safety67% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Kentucky alone, Berea ranks #102 of 181 Kentucky cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Berea against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Kentucky only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Kentucky-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Berea near the bottom of Kentucky's cities
Among the 520 Kentucky cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Berea ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Berea only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#238 of 485
51st percentile in Kentucky
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 520
0th percentile in Kentucky
Median Home Value
#179 of 484
63rd percentile in Kentucky
Poverty Rate
#178 of 519
66th percentile in Kentucky
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#168 of 520
68th percentile in Kentucky
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Kentucky only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
30th percentile nationally for median household income · 67th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Berea's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Berea's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Berea's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$178,000Among the most affordablemore affordable than 64% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Berea's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.2×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#7,445 of 15,516
More affordable than 52% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,107 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.2×, Berea sits in the moderate band:
national rank #7,445 of 15,516 and #1,107 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$56,484Berea, KY median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Berea, KY median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Berea, KY.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)27.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)17.1%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)55.3%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
15,557
Median Income
$56,484
Median Home Value
$178,000
Median Age
34.1
Poverty Rate
17.1%
Labor force participation
55.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
27.0%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
935.9
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
86.8
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
849.1
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
9
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Berea's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
15,592 residents
2021
15,294 residents
2022
15,477 residents
2023
16,005 residents
2024
16,418 residents
2025
16,662 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
142
housing units authorized
Single-Family
136
detached homes
Multifamily
6
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
9.1
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
78
43
35
$8.1M
2020
76
74
2
$9.2M
2021
66
64
2
$9.0M
2022
258
78
180
$28.2M
2023
121
63
58
$18.4M
2024
142
136
6
$23.4M
Permit volume increased 82% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
22.0 minutes
Drive Alone
68.6%
Carpool
12.4%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
7.7%
Work from Home
10.3%
Other
1.0%
Based on 6,885 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Kentucky statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $225
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Kentucky at $225 (electricity about $115 , water and sewer about $40 ).
These are Kentucky statewide averages, not a meter reading for Berea. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Kentucky's BEA cost-of-living index is 90.2 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Berea is $984/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Kentucky statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 44.2 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Kentucky statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Berea sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Berea compares to similar-size Kentucky cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.