City profile · Kentucky · Census ACS 2023

Fort Thomas, KY

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Fort Thomas - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

17,242
Residents
$100,819
Median income
$301,400
Median home
$1,353
Median rent (state)

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
50th
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. Median household income here is $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 534.8 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 $1,353 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 58.3 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).

Population

17,242 residents

Census ACS 2023 - Kentucky

Median Household Income

$100,819 /yr

Poverty 2.7%

Cost of Living Index (state)

90.2 (US=100)

Well Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, Kentucky average

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 income 78% higher than other cities
Home value 65% pricier than other cities
Median rent 50% pricier than other cities
Safety 84% 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

For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Fort Thomas's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in Kentucky, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.

78thIncome percentile
84thSafety percentile

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. 3-axis radar comparing 1 series across Income, Affordability, Safety. IncomeAffordabilitySafety 68 Avg. percentile National median
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+)

$301,400 35th percentile more affordable than 35% of 15,600 US cities

$0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). This entry sits in this band. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Fort Thomas $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

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

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - Fort Thomas, KY Fort Thomas, KY's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not Fort Thomas, KY-specific quintile data). The Lorenz curve traces the national cumulative income share against cumulative population share, perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Fort Thomas, KY median $100,819/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Fort Thomas, KY's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Fort Thomas, KY. Diagonal = perfect equality.

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
534.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
47.5
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
487.3
per 100,000 residents

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

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
16,800 residents17,000 residents17,200 residents17,400 residents17,600 residents 202020212022202320242025 17,419 residents 17,142 residents ▼ -1.6%
Fort Thomas's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.

Housing Supply

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
2019 5
2020 7
2021 14
2022 4
2023 15
2024 10

Permit volume increased 100% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

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

State-average estimates for Kentucky - EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$115
avg/month
Natural Gas
$70
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$40
avg/month
Total Utilities
$225
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Kentucky state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Cost of living is a Kentucky state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Fort Thomas sits in

Cost of Living Index
90.2
Well Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,353/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
58.3 / 100
Moderate
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in Kentucky

Danville
17,235 people
Shelbyville
17,436 people
St. Matthews
17,491 people
Murray
17,888 people
Burlington
18,090 people
Mount Washington
18,228 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Fort Thomas's 17,242 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Lake Butler, FL
17,242 people
Kaukauna, WI
17,237 people
Islip, NY
17,224 people
Nipomo, CA
17,266 people
Dallas, OR
17,214 people
Charleston, IL
17,212 people

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Fort Thomas's $100,819 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Saugus, MA
$100,819 median income
Long Lake, IL
$100,824 median income
Maryville, IL
$100,813 median income
Old Fig Garden, CA
$100,833 median income
Woolsey, GA
$100,833 median income
Herscher, IL
$100,833 median income

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Fort Thomas, KY Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Fort Thomas, KY - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 90.6% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.6% White 90.6% Black or African American 1.9% Asian 0.8% American Indian 0.0% Native Hawaiian 0.0% Some other race 1.2% Two or more races 5.5% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How Fort Thomas compares to nearby Kentucky cities

Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).

City Population Median Household Income
Fort Thomas (this city) 17,242 $100,819
Danville 17,235 $53,370
Shelbyville 17,436 $73,733
St. Matthews 17,491 $80,716
Census ACS 5-year FIPS KY FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Fort Thomas, KY?

What is the population of Fort Thomas, KY? +

Fort Thomas, KY has a population of 17,242 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Fort Thomas, KY? +

Median annual household income in Fort Thomas runs $100,819, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Fort Thomas? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Fort Thomas; the closest available measure is the Kentucky state average, a cost of living index of 90.2 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Well Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Kentucky vary by metro area.

Is Fort Thomas, KY safe? +

Fort Thomas has a total crime rate of 534.8 per 100,000 residents, which is below the national average. This reflects incidents reported to the FBI UCR program, not a definitive safety score -- agency reporting is voluntary and completeness varies by jurisdiction.

What is the median home value in Fort Thomas, KY? +

Fort Thomas's median home value sits at $301,400, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.