City profile · Kentucky · Census ACS 2023

Lexington-Fayette, KY

Lexington-Fayette's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

321,122
Residents
$67,631
Median income
$272,100
Median home
$984
Median rent (state)
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State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Lexington-Fayette.

Place dossier plate

Sheet KY-LEXINGTON-FAYETTE-KY · Lexington-Fayette, KY 321,122 pop · income 47th pct · 82 tracts

POP-MAJOR · INC-MID · COL-BELOW · SAFE-UNK · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-MID · BOOK-WIDE

  • POP-MAJOR 321,122
  • INC-MID $67,631
  • COL-BELOW 90.2
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-MID 47th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Cambridge
  • HOME-MID $272,100
  • BOOK-WIDE 82 tracts

Nearest income peer: Cambridge, MN (+ $1 income $)

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 Lexington-Fayette

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Lexington-Fayette on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

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.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Lexington-Fayette on ACS population and median household income . 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: 321,122.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $67,631. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Lexington-Fayette - the verdict

Lexington-Fayette ranks in the 47th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.

47th
percentile, household income
60th
percentile, home value
10th
percentile, median rent
📝 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: Lexington-Fayette, KY

Kentucky's Lexington-Fayette is a mid-sized U.S. city, with 321,122 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. The typical household in Lexington-Fayette brings in $67,631 a year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 9.4%. Home values in Lexington-Fayette run a median of $272,100, and the median resident age is 35.2 years. About 47.3% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 64.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 1,036 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Slowing), down 25% from five years earlier.

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. 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). 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 Lexington-Fayette'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 population change to housing and income to work and mobility to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Lexington-Fayette, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits, annual population history. No matched row is reported here for matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

1. Within-city variation

What can 82 Census tracts reveal inside Lexington-Fayette?

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.

PlainCities matches 82 Census tracts to this city.

Explore Lexington-Fayette's tract profiles →

2. Population change

Is Lexington-Fayette 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 +7,131 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +2.2% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 1,036 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.

See the national growth ranking →

Question 3

How far does income reach against housing in Lexington-Fayette?

The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 9.4%, 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. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Question 4

Which cities make useful reference points for Lexington-Fayette?

Within Kentucky, the closest population matches are Bowling Green (73,638 residents, $48,419 income); Owensboro (60,112 residents, $53,295 income); Covington (40,902 residents, $58,814 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are San Juan zona urbana, PR (320,691 residents); Stockton, CA (320,470 residents); Henderson, NV (324,523 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.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Other supported questions

Why these stay compact

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 Lexington-Fayette?

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 74.8%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Public transit
1.3%
Work from home
10.9%
Drive alone
74.8%

City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 164,357 workers age 16+.

Compare commute patterns →

Population

321,122 residents

Large city (200k–999k)

Median Household Income

$67,631 /yr

Below median income · poverty 9.4% (Above-median poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

90.2 (US=100)

Affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Kentucky average

City profile score · Lexington-Fayette, KY

61/100

4 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 A-
47.3%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Household income D
$67,631

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Poverty rate D
9.4%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Lexington-Fayette profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Cost of living, Bachelor's+ share, Household income, Poverty rate. Cost of livingBachelor's+ shareHousehold incomePoverty rate 61 C+
Lexington-Fayette profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Cost of living: 85/100 (A) · 90.2 index
  • Bachelor's+ share: 81/100 (A-) · 47.3%
  • Household income: 46/100 (D) · $67,631
  • Poverty rate: 42/100 (D) · 9.4%

How does Lexington-Fayette compare to other US cities?

Here's how Lexington-Fayette stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 47% higher than other cities
Home value 60% pricier than other cities
Median rent 10% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Lexington-Fayette 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 Lexington-Fayette near the bottom of Kentucky's cities

Among the 520 Kentucky cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Lexington-Fayette ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Lexington-Fayette only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#171 of 485
65th percentile in Kentucky
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 520
0th percentile in Kentucky
Median Home Value
#80 of 484
83rd percentile in Kentucky
Poverty Rate
#292 of 519
43rd percentile in Kentucky
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#84 of 520
84th 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.

47thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

47th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Lexington-Fayette's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$272,100 40th percentile more affordable than 40% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $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%). This entry sits in this band. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $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. Lexington-Fayette $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

Lexington-Fayette's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.0×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#10,772 of 15,516
More affordable than 31% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#43 of 117
Large cities (200,000–999,999)

At 4.0×, Lexington-Fayette sits in the moderate band: national rank #10,772 of 15,516 and #43 of 117large cities (200,000–999,999). 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

$67,631 Lexington-Fayette, KY median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Lexington-Fayette, KY Lexington-Fayette, KY's median household income ($67,631) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Lexington-Fayette, KY-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Lexington-Fayette, KY median $67,631/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%
Lexington-Fayette, 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 Lexington-Fayette, KY.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 47.3%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 9.4%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 64.5%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
321,122
Median Income
$67,631
Median Home Value
$272,100
Median Age
35.2
Poverty Rate
9.4%
Labor force participation
64.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
47.3%

Population Change

PEP vintage

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

See the fastest-growing cities →
315,000 residents320,000 residents325,000 residents330,000 residents335,000 residents 202020212022202320242025 322,620 residents 329,751 residents ▲ +2.2%
Lexington-Fayette's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Read the chart as text
Period Population
2020 322,620 residents
2021 320,450 residents
2022 321,332 residents
2023 323,414 residents
2024 327,071 residents
2025 329,751 residents

Housing Supply

BPS source

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

🏗️ Slowing
Total Permits (2024)
1,036
housing units authorized
Single-Family
492
detached homes
Multifamily
544
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
3.2
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 1,383
2020 1,437
2021 1,655
2022 1,731
2023 1,398
2024 1,036

Permit volume decreased 25% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
74.8%
Carpool
8.4%
Public Transit
1.3%
Walk
3.0%
Work from Home
10.9%
Other
1.6%

Based on 164,357 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 Lexington-Fayette. 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 Lexington-Fayette 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 Lexington-Fayette sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Lexington-Fayette 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.

City Population Median Household Income
Lexington-Fayette (this city) 321,122 $67,631
Bowling Green 73,638 $48,419
Owensboro 60,112 $53,295
Covington 40,902 $58,814
Census BPS 2024
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.

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

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

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.

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