Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.
Place dossier plate
SheetKY-FORT-THOMAS-KY · Fort Thomas, KY 17,242 pop · income 78th pct · 25 tracts
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 Fort Thomas
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Fort Thomas on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Murray · lowest
40,348
Murray · lowest
40,348 median HH income
22.6% of the leader · rank #1
Maryville · near
100,813
Maryville · near
100,813 median HH income
56.4% of the leader · rank #2
Fort Thomas · this city
100,819
Fort Thomas · this city
100,819 median HH income
56.4% of the leader · rank #3
Saugus · near
100,819
Saugus · near
100,819 median HH income
56.4% of the leader · rank #4
Long Lake · near
100,824
Long Lake · near
100,824 median HH income
56.4% of the leader · rank #5
Old Fig Garden · near
100,833
Old Fig Garden · near
100,833 median HH income
56.4% of the leader · rank #6
Lake Butler · highest
178,750
Lake Butler · highest
178,750 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 Fort Thomas 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: 17,242.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Fort Thomas - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Fort Thomas places in the 78th percentile for household income and the 84th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
78th
percentile, household income
65th
percentile, home value
10th
percentile, median rent
84th
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: Fort Thomas, KY
17,242 people live in Fort Thomas, Kentucky - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Households in Fort Thomas report a median income of $100,819 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 2.7%. Fort Thomas's housing stock carries a median value of $301,400, and the median resident age is 37.9 years. About 55.6% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 66.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 10 residential building permits were authorized in Fort Thomas (Building Boom), up 100% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Fort Thomas reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 534.9 incidents per 100,000 residents, below the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Kentucky run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Kentucky scores 90.2 (Well Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $984 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $225 across Kentucky, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. The average commute for Fort Thomas workers runs 17.4 minutes, with 75.4% driving alone and 14.7% working from home. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 44.2 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Fort Thomas'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 within-city variation to reported crime to schools and households to work and mobility to comparison shortlist to housing and income to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Fort Thomas, city-specific coverage includes within-city Census tract profiles, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, annual population history, local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
What can 25 Census tracts reveal inside Fort Thomas?
PlainCities matches 25 Census tracts to this city.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Fort Thomas?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 534.9 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 77% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
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.
What does the education layer cover for Fort Thomas?
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.
The NCES join finds 5 public schools within the city match. 55.6% 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.
Which cities make useful reference points for Fort Thomas?
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.
Within Kentucky, the closest population matches are Danville (17,235 residents, $53,370 income); Shelbyville (17,436 residents, $73,733 income); St. Matthews (17,491 residents, $80,716 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Lake Butler, FL (17,242 residents); Kaukauna, WI (17,237 residents); Islip, NY (17,224 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.
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.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Fort Thomas?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 75.4%. The reported mean trip to work is 17.4 minutes.
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.
Drive alone
75.4%
Work from home
14.7%
Public transit
1.2%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 8,602 workers age 16+.
How far does income reach against housing in Fort Thomas?
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.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 2.7%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
3.0×
Home value
$301,400
Household income
$100,819
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Is Fort Thomas growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -277 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -1.6% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 10 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
2020 estimate
17,419
2025 estimate
17,142
Period change
-1.6%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
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.
Bachelor's+ share A
55.6%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
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 A-
48 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate A-
2.7%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income B+
$100,819
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Fort Thomas profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 89/100 (A) · 55.6%
Cost of living: 85/100 (A) · 90.2 index
Violent crime: 84/100 (A-) · 48 /100k
Poverty rate: 81/100 (A-) · 2.7%
Household income: 77/100 (B+) · $100,819
Where Fort Thomas sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Fort Thomas'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 - Fort Thomas highlighted among 9 peers.Read the chart values
Fort Thomas, KY (this city): home $301,400, crime 535/100k
Kaukauna, WI : home $198,800, crime 783/100k
Dallas, OR : home $355,700, crime 2,345/100k
Charleston, IL : home $133,700, crime 2,153/100k
Danville, KY : home $202,200, crime 1,155/100k
Shelbyville, KY : home $238,600, crime 1,142/100k
St. Matthews, KY : home $325,700, crime 5,223/100k
Murray, KY : home $193,300, crime 1,528/100k
Mount Washington, KY : home $253,700, crime 590/100k
How does Fort Thomas compare to other US cities?
Fort Thomas measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income78% higher than other cities
Home value65% pricier than other cities
Median rent10% pricier than other cities
Safety84% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Kentucky and the picture shifts: Fort Thomas ranks #63 of 181 Kentucky cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Fort Thomas 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 Fort Thomas near the bottom of Kentucky's cities
Among the 520 Kentucky cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Fort Thomas ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Fort Thomas only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#72 of 485
85th percentile in Kentucky
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 520
0th percentile in Kentucky
Median Home Value
#61 of 484
87th percentile in Kentucky
Poverty Rate
#404 of 519
22nd percentile in Kentucky
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#57 of 520
89th 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
78th percentile nationally for median household income · 84th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Fort Thomas's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Fort Thomas'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 Fort Thomas's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$301,40035th percentilemore affordable than 35% 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
Fort Thomas's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.0×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#6,630 of 15,516
More affordable than 57% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#884 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.0×, Fort Thomas sits in the affordable band:
national rank #6,630 of 15,516 and #884 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
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
$100,819Fort Thomas, KY median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Fort Thomas, 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 Fort Thomas, KY.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)55.6%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)2.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)66.5%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
17,242
Median Income
$100,819
Median Home Value
$301,400
Median Age
37.9
Poverty Rate
2.7%
Labor force participation
66.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
55.6%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
534.9
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
47.5
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
487.3
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
5
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Fort Thomas's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
17,419 residents
2021
17,345 residents
2022
17,141 residents
2023
17,016 residents
2024
16,971 residents
2025
17,142 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
10
housing units authorized
Single-Family
10
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.6
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
5
5
0
$2.5M
2020
7
7
0
$3.3M
2021
14
11
3
$5.2M
2022
4
4
0
$1.6M
2023
15
15
0
$12.5M
2024
10
10
0
$8.2M
Permit volume increased 100% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
17.4 minutes
Drive Alone
75.4%
Carpool
6.3%
Public Transit
1.2%
Walk
1.4%
Work from Home
14.7%
Other
1.0%
Based on 8,602 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 Fort Thomas. 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 Fort Thomas 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 Fort Thomas sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Fort Thomas 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.