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Place dossier plate
SheetKY-WEST-BUECHEL-KY · West Buechel, KY 1,624 pop · income 15th 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 West Buechel
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest West Buechel on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Jenkins · lowest
34,400
Jenkins · lowest
34,400 median HH income
53.1% of the leader · rank #1
Lafitte · near
47,059
Lafitte · near
47,059 median HH income
72.6% of the leader · rank #2
Sheridan · near
47,063
Sheridan · near
47,063 median HH income
72.6% of the leader · rank #3
West Buechel · this city
47,066
West Buechel · this city
47,066 median HH income
72.6% of the leader · rank #4
Bedford Heigh… · near
47,066
Bedford Heigh… · near
47,066 median HH income
72.6% of the leader · rank #5
Normangee · near
47,071
Normangee · near
47,071 median HH income
72.6% of the leader · rank #6
Hoopers Creek · highest
64,792
Hoopers Creek · highest
64,792 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 West Buechel 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: 1,624.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
West Buechel - the verdict
Nationally, West Buechel sits in the 15th percentile for household income and the 1st percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
15th
percentile, household income
28th
percentile, home value
10th
percentile, median rent
1st
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: West Buechel, KY
1,624 people live in West Buechel, Kentucky - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in West Buechel brings in $47,066 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 13.5%. Home values in West Buechel run a median of $152,600, and the median resident age is 31.6 years. 35.3% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 76.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
West Buechel's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 8727.8 in FBI UCR data, above 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: 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. 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 West Buechel'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 comparison shortlist to housing and income to reported crime to population change to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For West Buechel, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates.
No matched row is reported here for local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles, matched public-school count; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Comparison shortlist
Which cities make useful reference points for West Buechel?
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 Ledbetter (1,630 residents, $62,798 income); Owenton (1,600 residents, $52,121 income); Breckinridge Center (1,592 residents, $62,269 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Meadview, AZ (1,624 residents); West Sharyland, TX (1,624 residents); Cambridge City, IN (1,623 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.
How far does income reach against housing in West Buechel?
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 13.5%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
What can the FBI record say about safety in West Buechel?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 8727.8 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 283% higher 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.
Is West Buechel growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +28 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +2.0% 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.
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 West Buechel?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 69.4%. 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. 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
69.4%
Work from home
7.8%
Public transit
0.6%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 963 workers age 16+.
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 B-
35.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime F
296 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate F
13.5%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$47,066
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
West Buechel profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 85/100 (A) · 90.2 index
Bachelor's+ share: 67/100 (B-) · 35.3%
Violent crime: 34/100 (F) · 296 /100k
Poverty rate: 26/100 (F) · 13.5%
Household income: 16/100 (F) · $47,066
Where West Buechel sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
West Buechel'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 - West Buechel highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
West Buechel, KY (this city): home $152,600, crime 8,728/100k
Beaver, OK : home $123,500, crime 636/100k
Comanche, OK : home $71,200, crime 1,274/100k
Owenton, KY : home $124,300, crime 120/100k
Catlettsburg, KY : home $71,400, crime 753/100k
Jenkins, KY : home $65,600, crime 171/100k
Taylorsville, KY : home $148,500, crime 1,731/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does West Buechel compare to other US cities?
Here's how West Buechel stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income15% higher than other cities
Home value28% pricier than other cities
Median rent10% pricier than other cities
Safety1% 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, West Buechel ranks #181 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 West Buechel 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 West Buechel near the bottom of Kentucky's cities
Among the 520 Kentucky cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, West Buechel ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares West Buechel only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#316 of 485
35th percentile in Kentucky
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 520
0th percentile in Kentucky
Median Home Value
#230 of 484
52nd percentile in Kentucky
Poverty Rate
#225 of 519
56th percentile in Kentucky
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#128 of 520
75th 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
15th percentile nationally for median household income · 1st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
West Buechel's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
West Buechel'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 West Buechel's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$152,600Among the most affordablemore affordable than 72% 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
West Buechel'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
#7,883 of 15,516
More affordable than 49% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#6,485 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 3.2×, West Buechel sits in the moderate band:
national rank #7,883 of 15,516 and #6,485 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
$47,066West Buechel, KY median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context West Buechel, 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 West Buechel, KY.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)35.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)13.5%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)76.6%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,624
Median Income
$47,066
Median Home Value
$152,600
Median Age
31.6
Poverty Rate
13.5%
Labor force participation
76.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
35.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
8727.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
295.9
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
8432.0
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
West Buechel's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
1,374 residents
2021
1,367 residents
2022
1,368 residents
2023
1,380 residents
2024
1,397 residents
2025
1,402 residents
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
69.4%
Carpool
12.6%
Public Transit
0.6%
Walk
7.8%
Work from Home
7.8%
Other
1.8%
Based on 963 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 West Buechel. 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 West Buechel 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 West Buechel sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How West Buechel 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.