City profile · Kentucky · Census ACS 2023

Shively, KY

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

15,556
Residents
$46,522
Median income
$139,200
Median home
$984
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Shively, KY

Shively is a city in Kentucky with a population of 15,556 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $46,522 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 13.6%. Typical homes in Shively are valued around $139,200, and the median resident age is 46.3 years. About 12.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 53.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 3585.8 incidents per 1,000 residents, above the national average, indicating elevated public-safety concerns.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Kentucky registers 90.2 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $984 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $225 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 44.2 out of 100 (Low).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

15,556 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Kentucky

Median Household Income

$46,522 /yr

Poverty 13.6%

Cost of Living Index

90.2 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Shively compare to other US cities?

Where Shively sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 15% higher than other cities
Home value 24% pricier than other cities
Median rent 10% pricier than other cities
Safety 10% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare Shively against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Shively, KY Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Shively, KY. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Shively, KY — median $46,522/yr — Census ACS quintile shares 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%
Household income distribution for Shively, KY — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 12.7%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 13.6%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 53.8%

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

Population
15,556
Median Income
$46,522
Median Home Value
$139,200
Median Age
46.3
Poverty Rate
13.6%
Labor force participation
53.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
12.7%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
3585.8
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
305.3
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
3280.5
per 1,000 residents

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
74.9%
Carpool
8.7%
Public Transit
2.2%
Walk
0.2%
Work from Home
11.8%
Other
2.2%

Based on 6,728 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

Kentucky state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
90.2
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$984/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
44.2 / 100
Low
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Shively, 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 Shively, KY — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% 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.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Shively compares to nearby Kentucky cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Shively) plus the nearest peer cities in Kentucky, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

KY

Shively

46.52% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$46,522
Brackets
16
Selected

KY

Berea

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$1,560
Brackets
16
Selected

KY

Glasgow

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$1,510
Brackets
15
Selected

KY

Shepherdsville

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$1,440
Brackets
14
Census ACS 5-year FIPS KY FBI UCR OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Shively, KY?

What is the population of Shively, KY? +

Shively, KY has a population of 15,556 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Shively, KY? +

The median household income in Shively is $46,522 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Shively? +

Shively has a cost of living index of 90.2 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

Is Shively, KY safe? +

Shively has a total crime rate of 3585.8 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in Shively, KY? +

The median home value in Shively is $139,200, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

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.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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