Alexandria vs Hamilton

Which is the better fit for you?

Alexandria, KY
78
Area Score
Top 1% nationally
Hamilton, OH
62
Area Score
Top 39% nationally

Want a third or fourth place beside these? Open them in the shortlist and add more.

Alexandria receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Alexandria to Hamilton

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 94.2 against 94.2 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$17 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,336 in Hamilton against $1,353 in Alexandria.
The median home
42% less
$165,200 in Hamilton against $284,800 in Alexandria.
The weather you would swap
Winters 2°F colder
Normal January lows are 22°F in Hamilton against 24°F in Alexandria; July highs are 87°F against 87°F (summers the same).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Alexandria
Hamilton
Opportunity: Alexandria is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
75 · Top 16%
vs
56 · Top 50%
Growth: Alexandria is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
78 · Top 6%
vs
46 · Bottom 42%
Climate: Alexandria is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
69 · Bottom 46%
vs
64 · Bottom 32%
Physical resilience: Hamilton is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
76 · Top 29%
vs
77 · Top 28%
Housing affordability: Alexandria is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
87 · Top 3%
vs
76 · Top 22%
Schools: Alexandria is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
82 · Top 9%
vs
50 · Top 50%
Access: Alexandria is the more favorable of the two.
Access
95 · Top 38%
vs
90 · Bottom 41%
Economic stability: Alexandria is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
71 · Top 23%
vs
32 · Bottom 11%

Measured values

MetricAlexandriaHamiltonSource period
Population10,56263,4682024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$102,239 — more favorable$55,1662024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$43,622 — more favorable$28,8792024 ACS 5-Year
Population density1,526/sq mi2,957/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$284,800$165,2002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$1,195 ±$409$1,007 ±$362024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,353$1,336 — more favorableFY2026
Cost of living index94.294.22023
Homeownership rate91.7%54.3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.2%3.9% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)+1.6% — more favorable+0.5%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher35.3% — more favorable16.5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate7.9% — more favorable19.2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)4527012 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents4.8 — more favorable1.112 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+120.5%0.0%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high87°F87°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low24°F22°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation43.4"41.4"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport16 mi — more favorable24 miNASR current cycle
Average commute29.5 min26.5 min — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age37.934.82024 ACS 5-Year
Students per teacher14.8 — more favorable16.12024-25 school year
Math proficiency56.3%63.7%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency62.0%64.6%2018-19 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

One row above shows both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Kentucky and Ohio do not give the same test. Each state writes its own assessment and sets its own passing score, so the two proficiency rows above are not directly comparable — the difference between them partly measures which standard is harder. Students per teacher and the school count are unaffected, and each profile ranks its own proficiency within its own state.

Physical risk tradeoff

Alexandria

Elevated or high exposure: tornado.

Hamilton

Elevated or high exposure: tornado.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Alexandria
—
Alexandria: Your Score
78
Area Score
Hamilton
—
Hamilton: Your Score
62
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Alexandria, KY · Hamilton, OH · How this is calculated: methodology