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Place dossier plate
SheetKY-DAYTON-KY · Dayton, KY 5,703 pop · income 39th 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 Dayton
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Dayton on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
McKenzie · lowest
35,988
McKenzie · lowest
35,988 median HH income
16.6% of the leader · rank #1
Dayton · this city
62,500
Dayton · this city
62,500 median HH income
28.8% of the leader · rank #2
Industry · near
62,500
Industry · near
62,500 median HH income
28.8% of the leader · rank #3
Buncombe · near
62,500
Buncombe · near
62,500 median HH income
28.8% of the leader · rank #4
Colchester · near
62,500
Colchester · near
62,500 median HH income
28.8% of the leader · rank #5
Shipman · near
62,500
Shipman · near
62,500 median HH income
28.8% of the leader · rank #6
Poolesville · highest
216,653
Poolesville · highest
216,653 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 Dayton 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: 5,703.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Dayton - the verdict
Nationally, Dayton sits in the 39th percentile for household income and the 65th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
39th
percentile, household income
25th
percentile, home value
10th
percentile, median rent
65th
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: Dayton, KY
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 5,703 residents in Dayton, a small town within Kentucky. Households in Dayton report a median income of $62,500 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 19.9%. Typical homes in Dayton are valued around $144,100, and the median resident age is 39.2 years. About 24.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 60.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Dayton reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 977.2 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Kentucky run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Kentucky at 90.2 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Below Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $984 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Kentucky's average monthly utility costs around $225 (state average). Commute times here average 18.6 minutes, with 67.7% driving alone and 10.8% working from home, per Census ACS commuting data. 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 Dayton'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 population change to housing and income to schools and households to reported crime to comparison shortlist to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Dayton, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, commute-mode shares.
No matched row is reported here for local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Population change
Is Dayton growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
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 +303 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +5.3% change. No comparable local building-permit series is available here, so population change should not be read as a housing-supply measure. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
How far does income reach against housing in Dayton?
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 2.3 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 19.9%, 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. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.
The NCES join finds 2 public schools within the city match. 24.4% 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 matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
Which cities make useful reference points for Dayton?
Within Kentucky, the closest population matches are Central City (5,736 residents, $49,025 income); Monticello (5,741 residents, $37,733 income); Bellevue (5,598 residents, $67,143 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Poolesville, MD (5,704 residents); Glencoe, MN (5,702 residents); Winslow, ME (5,701 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.
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.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Dayton?
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 977.2 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 57% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
737.2
Violent rate
240.0
Total reported rate
977.2
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
What does the journey to work look like in Dayton?
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 67.7%. The reported mean trip to work is 18.6 minutes.
Public transit
1.1%
Work from home
10.8%
Drive alone
67.7%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 2,714 workers age 16+.
Below median income · poverty 19.9% (High poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
90.2 (US=100)
Affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Kentucky average
D
City profile score · Dayton, KY
45/100
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.
Bachelor's+ share D
24.4%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime D
240 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Household income F
$62,500
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
19.9%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Dayton profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 85/100 (A) · 90.2 index
Bachelor's+ share: 47/100 (D) · 24.4%
Violent crime: 42/100 (D) · 240 /100k
Household income: 38/100 (F) · $62,500
Poverty rate: 14/100 (F) · 19.9%
Where Dayton sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Dayton'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 - Dayton highlighted among 8 peers.Read the chart values
Dayton, KY (this city): home $144,100, crime 977/100k
Glencoe, MN : home $213,100, crime 602/100k
Winslow, ME : home $200,100, crime 1,218/100k
McKenzie, TN : home $140,200, crime 1,000/100k
Central City, KY : home $140,700, crime 1,068/100k
Monticello, KY : home $125,800, crime 876/100k
Bellevue, KY : home $186,200, crime 1,103/100k
Fort Wright, KY : home $305,500, crime 571/100k
How does Dayton compare to other US cities?
Dayton measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income39% higher than other cities
Home value25% pricier than other cities
Median rent10% pricier than other cities
Safety65% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Kentucky, Dayton ranks #108 of 181 Kentucky cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Dayton 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 Dayton near the bottom of Kentucky's cities
Among the 520 Kentucky cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Dayton ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Dayton only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#194 of 485
60th percentile in Kentucky
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 520
0th percentile in Kentucky
Median Home Value
#246 of 484
49th percentile in Kentucky
Poverty Rate
#147 of 519
72nd percentile in Kentucky
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#194 of 520
62nd 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
39th percentile nationally for median household income · 65th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Dayton's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Dayton'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 Dayton's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$144,100Among the most affordablemore affordable than 75% 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
Dayton's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.3×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#2,977 of 15,516
More affordable than 81% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,750 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 2.3×, Dayton sits in the affordable band:
national rank #2,977 of 15,516 and #2,750 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
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
$62,500Dayton, KY median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Dayton, 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 Dayton, KY.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)24.4%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)19.9%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)60.2%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
5,703
Median Income
$62,500
Median Home Value
$144,100
Median Age
39.2
Poverty Rate
19.9%
Labor force participation
60.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
24.4%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
977.2
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
240.0
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
737.2
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
2
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Dayton's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
5,671 residents
2021
5,695 residents
2022
5,763 residents
2023
5,817 residents
2024
5,879 residents
2025
5,974 residents
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
18.6 minutes
Drive Alone
67.7%
Carpool
13.0%
Public Transit
1.1%
Walk
5.8%
Work from Home
10.8%
Other
1.6%
Based on 2,714 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 Dayton. 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 Dayton 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 Dayton sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Dayton 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 ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.