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Place dossier plate
SheetKY-MEADOW-VALE-KY · Meadow Vale, KY 943 pop · income 69th 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 Meadow Vale
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Meadow Vale on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Whitecone · lowest
28,500
Whitecone · lowest
28,500 median HH income
28.1% of the leader · rank #1
Elmwood · near
87,644
Elmwood · near
87,644 median HH income
86.5% of the leader · rank #2
Meadow Vale · this city
87,656
Meadow Vale · this city
87,656 median HH income
86.5% of the leader · rank #3
Ketchum · near
87,658
Ketchum · near
87,658 median HH income
86.5% of the leader · rank #4
Byrnes Mill · near
87,663
Byrnes Mill · near
87,663 median HH income
86.5% of the leader · rank #5
Scotts · near
87,667
Scotts · near
87,667 median HH income
86.5% of the leader · rank #6
Langdon Place · highest
101,364
Langdon Place · highest
101,364 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
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Meadow Vale 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: 943.
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Meadow Vale lands in the 69th percentile for household income and the 99th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
69th
percentile, household income
62nd
percentile, home value
10th
percentile, median rent
99th
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: Meadow Vale, KY
943 people live in Meadow Vale, Kentucky - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Meadow Vale households earn a median of $87,656 annually, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 1.1%. Typical homes in Meadow Vale are valued around $280,500, and the median resident age is 26.6 years. 50.5% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 68.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Meadow Vale reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 0.0 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: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Kentucky at 90.2 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Below Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $984 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $225 across Kentucky, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. 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 Meadow Vale'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 comparison shortlist to reported crime to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Meadow Vale, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares.
No matched row is reported here for matched public-school count, local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
Is Meadow Vale growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +11 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +1.5% 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.
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.
How far does income reach against housing in Meadow Vale?
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 3.2 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 1.1%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Which cities make useful reference points for Meadow Vale?
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.
Within Kentucky, the closest population matches are Wheelwright (945 residents, $58,250 income); Beechmont (940 residents, $54,400 income); South Wallins (948 residents, $29,153 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are De Soto, IA (943 residents); Madison, KS (943 residents); Alanson, MI (943 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.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Meadow Vale?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 0.0 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 100% 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.
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 Meadow Vale?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 65.4%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Drive alone
65.4%
Work from home
27.0%
Public transit
0.0%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 370 workers age 16+.
Above median income · poverty 1.1% (Very low poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
90.2 (US=100)
Affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Kentucky average
A-
City profile score · Meadow Vale, KY
84/100
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.
Violent crime A+
0 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate A+
1.1%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
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-
50.5%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income B-
$87,656
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Meadow Vale profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Violent crime: 97/100 (A+) · 0 /100k
Poverty rate: 92/100 (A+) · 1.1%
Cost of living: 85/100 (A) · 90.2 index
Bachelor's+ share: 84/100 (A-) · 50.5%
Household income: 67/100 (B-) · $87,656
How does Meadow Vale compare to other US cities?
Where Meadow Vale sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income69% higher than other cities
Home value62% pricier than other cities
Median rent10% pricier than other cities
Safety99% 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, Meadow Vale ranks #8 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 Meadow Vale 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 Meadow Vale near the bottom of Kentucky's cities
Among the 520 Kentucky cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Meadow Vale ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Meadow Vale only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#104 of 485
79th percentile in Kentucky
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 520
0th percentile in Kentucky
Median Home Value
#75 of 484
85th percentile in Kentucky
Poverty Rate
#439 of 519
15th percentile in Kentucky
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#72 of 520
86th 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
69th percentile nationally for median household income · 99th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Meadow Vale's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Meadow Vale'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 Meadow Vale's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$280,50038th percentilemore affordable than 38% 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
Meadow Vale'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
#7,702 of 15,516
More affordable than 50% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#6,364 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 3.2×, Meadow Vale sits in the moderate band:
national rank #7,702 of 15,516 and #6,364 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
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
$87,656Meadow Vale, KY median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Meadow Vale, 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 Meadow Vale, KY.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)50.5%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)1.1%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)68.0%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
943
Median Income
$87,656
Median Home Value
$280,500
Median Age
26.6
Poverty Rate
1.1%
Labor force participation
68.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
50.5%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
0.0
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
0.0
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
0.0
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.
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Meadow Vale's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
724 residents
2021
720 residents
2022
720 residents
2023
724 residents
2024
735 residents
2025
735 residents
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
65.4%
Carpool
6.8%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
27.0%
Other
0.8%
Based on 370 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 Meadow Vale. 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 Meadow Vale 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 Meadow Vale sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Meadow Vale 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, 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.